Self‐reported navigation ability is associated with optic flow‐sensitive regions’ functional connectivity patterns during visual path integration

Abstract

Introduction Spatial navigation is a complex cognitive skill that varies between individuals, and the mechanisms underlying this variability are not clear. Studying simpler components of spatial navigation may help illuminate factors that contribute to variation in this complex skill; path integration is one such component. Optic flow provides self‐motion information while moving through an environment and is sufficient for path integration. This study aims to investigate whether self‐reported navigation ability is related to information transfer between optic flow‐sensitive (OF‐sensitive) cortical regions and regions important to navigation during environmental spatial tasks. Methods Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to define OF‐sensitive regions and map their functional connectivity (FC) with the retrosplenial cortex and hippocampus during visual path integration (VPI) and turn counting (TC) tasks. Both tasks presented visual self‐motion through a real‐world environment. Correlations predicting a positive association between self‐reported navigation ability (measured with the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale) and FC strength between OF‐sensitive regions and retrosplenial cortex and OF‐sensitive regions and the hippocampus were performed. Results During VPI, FC strength between left cingulate sulcus visual area (L CSv) and right retrosplenial cortex and L CSv and right hippocampus was positively associated with self‐reported navigation ability. FC strength between right cingulate sulcus visual area (R CSv) and right retrosplenial cortex during VPI was also positively associated with self‐reported navigation ability. These relationships were specific to VPI, and whole‐brain exploratory analyses corroborated these results. Conclusions These findings support the hypothesis that perceived spatial navigation ability is associated with communication strength between OF‐sensitive and navigationally relevant regions during visual path integration, which may represent the transformation accuracy of visual motion information into internal spatial representations. More broadly, these results illuminate underlying mechanisms that may explain some variability in spatial navigation ability.

Vision and Locomotion Combine to Drive Path Integration Sequences in Mouse Retrosplenial Cortex

“…In a free-behavior context, vestibular inputsincluding translational and rotational signals and their interactions with vision-may exert strong impacts on the path integration process. The present paradigm may have restrictions similar to those used in human studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging, which investigate the role of optic flow on navigational behavior in a VR setup [33][34][35]. Previous human studies have shown that the hippocampus and RSC work in concert for successful path integration [34,36].…”

Differential Brain Activity in Regions Linked to Visuospatial Processing During Landmark-Based Navigation in Young and Healthy Older Adults

“…The multiple regression analyses showed that this network spanned posterior structures linked to visuospatial processing. Activation of the left superior occipital gyrus was reported which corresponds to visual area V3A and which is involved in optic flow tracking for visual path integration (Sherrill et al, 2015 ; Zajac et al, 2019 ). Also, our landmark-based navigation paradigm elicited activity in the ventral temporal cortex.…”

Differential brain activity in visuo-perceptual regions during landmark-based navigation in young and healthy older adults

“…This network spanned posterior structures linked to visuo-spatial processing. We reported activation of the left superior occipital gyrus which corresponds to visual area V3A and is involved in optic flow tracking for visual path integration (Sherrill et al, 2015; Zajac et al, 2019). In addition, our landmark-based navigation paradigm elicited activity in the ventral temporal cortex.…”