Spatial cognition is the ability to navigate within the world, acquiring and updating information about body position, spatial objects and surrounding space. Its impairment impacts on life quality and personal autonomy, so there is a need for intervention tools. This project aims at testing the potential benefits of navigational training with a new Virtual Reality (VR) videogame, named MindTheCity!. This latter is realized with the purpose of encouraging users to build a survey representation of the environment, creating allocentric cognitive maps. A group of 23 healthy subjects played MindTheCity! one hour per day for four consecutive days. Spatial cognition skills were assessed before and after training, and two fMRI sessions have been conducted in order to explore changes attributable to training in neuronal activity during a memory task. According to pilot analyses, MindTheCity! revealed its capacity to affect some spatial cognition skills in healthy subjects. Indeed, four days of training seem sufficient to both bring behavioural improvements and act on memory networks at a neural level. To conclude, intensive navigational training in a VR environment seems to represent a valid and ecological task capable of enhancing some spatial cognition abilities. Future research should test MindTheCity! as rehabilitative intervention for patients suffering from spatial cognition impairment.

Navigational training in virtual environments: A pilot fMRI study on healthy participants

SCHINELLO, MARZIA;Marcella Caglio;Katiuscia Sacco
2018-01-01

Abstract

Spatial cognition is the ability to navigate within the world, acquiring and updating information about body position, spatial objects and surrounding space. Its impairment impacts on life quality and personal autonomy, so there is a need for intervention tools. This project aims at testing the potential benefits of navigational training with a new Virtual Reality (VR) videogame, named MindTheCity!. This latter is realized with the purpose of encouraging users to build a survey representation of the environment, creating allocentric cognitive maps. A group of 23 healthy subjects played MindTheCity! one hour per day for four consecutive days. Spatial cognition skills were assessed before and after training, and two fMRI sessions have been conducted in order to explore changes attributable to training in neuronal activity during a memory task. According to pilot analyses, MindTheCity! revealed its capacity to affect some spatial cognition skills in healthy subjects. Indeed, four days of training seem sufficient to both bring behavioural improvements and act on memory networks at a neural level. To conclude, intensive navigational training in a VR environment seems to represent a valid and ecological task capable of enhancing some spatial cognition abilities. Future research should test MindTheCity! as rehabilitative intervention for patients suffering from spatial cognition impairment.
2018
30
1
107
122
FMRI, Spatial cognition, Virtual reality
Maria Bianca Amadeo, Marzia Schinello, Marcella Caglio, Katiuscia Sacco
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
06_amadeo (1).pdf

Accesso riservato

Tipo di file: PDF EDITORIALE
Dimensione 848.05 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
848.05 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/1685384
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 0
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact