Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation
Aging leads to a complex pattern of structural and functional changes, gradually affecting sensorimotor, perceptual, and cognitive processes. These multiscale changes can hinder older adults’ interaction with their environment, progressively reducing their autonomy in performing tasks relevant to ev...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Aging Brain |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589958922000068 |
| _version_ | 1811177671212662784 |
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| author | Stephen Ramanoël Marion Durteste Alexandre Delaux Jean-Baptiste de Saint Aubert Angelo Arleo |
| author_facet | Stephen Ramanoël Marion Durteste Alexandre Delaux Jean-Baptiste de Saint Aubert Angelo Arleo |
| author_sort | Stephen Ramanoël |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aging leads to a complex pattern of structural and functional changes, gradually affecting sensorimotor, perceptual, and cognitive processes. These multiscale changes can hinder older adults’ interaction with their environment, progressively reducing their autonomy in performing tasks relevant to everyday life. Autonomy loss can further be aggravated by the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., age-related macular degeneration at the sensory input level; and Alzheimer’s disease at the cognitive level). In this context, spatial cognition offers a representative case of high-level brain function that involves multimodal sensory processing, postural control, locomotion, spatial orientation, and wayfinding capabilities. Hence, studying spatial behavior and its neural bases can help identify early markers of pathogenic age-related processes. Until now, the neural correlates of spatial cognition have mostly been studied in static conditions thereby disregarding perceptual (other than visual) and motor aspects of natural navigation. In this review, we first demonstrate how visuo-motor integration and the allocation of cognitive resources during locomotion lie at the heart of real-world spatial navigation. Second, we present how technological advances such as immersive virtual reality and mobile neuroimaging solutions can enable researchers to explore the interplay between perception and action. Finally, we argue that the future of brain aging research in spatial navigation demands a widespread shift toward the use of naturalistic, ecologically valid experimental paradigms to address the challenges of mobility and autonomy decline across the lifespan. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:05:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2fbf5d0e375c4369b3621d7bb100c9f8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2589-9589 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:05:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Aging Brain |
| spelling | doaj.art-2fbf5d0e375c4369b3621d7bb100c9f82022-12-22T04:41:31ZengElsevierAging Brain2589-95892022-01-012100034Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigationStephen Ramanoël0Marion Durteste1Alexandre Delaux2Jean-Baptiste de Saint Aubert3Angelo Arleo4Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France; Université Côte d'Azur, LAMHESS, Nice, FranceSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, FranceSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, FranceSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, FranceSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France; Corresponding author.Aging leads to a complex pattern of structural and functional changes, gradually affecting sensorimotor, perceptual, and cognitive processes. These multiscale changes can hinder older adults’ interaction with their environment, progressively reducing their autonomy in performing tasks relevant to everyday life. Autonomy loss can further be aggravated by the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., age-related macular degeneration at the sensory input level; and Alzheimer’s disease at the cognitive level). In this context, spatial cognition offers a representative case of high-level brain function that involves multimodal sensory processing, postural control, locomotion, spatial orientation, and wayfinding capabilities. Hence, studying spatial behavior and its neural bases can help identify early markers of pathogenic age-related processes. Until now, the neural correlates of spatial cognition have mostly been studied in static conditions thereby disregarding perceptual (other than visual) and motor aspects of natural navigation. In this review, we first demonstrate how visuo-motor integration and the allocation of cognitive resources during locomotion lie at the heart of real-world spatial navigation. Second, we present how technological advances such as immersive virtual reality and mobile neuroimaging solutions can enable researchers to explore the interplay between perception and action. Finally, we argue that the future of brain aging research in spatial navigation demands a widespread shift toward the use of naturalistic, ecologically valid experimental paradigms to address the challenges of mobility and autonomy decline across the lifespan.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589958922000068Visual agingCognitive agingSpatial navigationMobile neuroimaging |
| spellingShingle | Stephen Ramanoël Marion Durteste Alexandre Delaux Jean-Baptiste de Saint Aubert Angelo Arleo Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation Aging Brain Visual aging Cognitive aging Spatial navigation Mobile neuroimaging |
| title | Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation |
| title_full | Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation |
| title_fullStr | Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation |
| title_short | Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation |
| title_sort | future trends in brain aging research visuo cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation |
| topic | Visual aging Cognitive aging Spatial navigation Mobile neuroimaging |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589958922000068 |
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