Science · 1998 · 1.3K citations · 14 references
NeuropsychologyEngineeringAffective NeuroscienceBrain MappingIntelligent SystemsCommunicationBrain OrganizationLocalizationSocial SciencesKinesiologyVirtual TownLocation AwarenessCognitive NeuroscienceMultisensory IntegrationAutomatic NavigationCognitive ScienceBrain StructureBrain AreasHuman Navigation NetworkNetwork ScienceNeuroanatomyHuman-computer InteractionSpatial CognitionNeuroscienceRight HippocampusLocation Information
The study aimed to investigate the neural basis of human navigation by examining brain activity during navigation in a familiar, complex virtual reality town. Functional neuroimaging was used to record brain activity while participants navigated the virtual town. Right hippocampal activation correlated with accurate spatial knowledge and navigation, while right caudate activation correlated with rapid movement, and these regions worked with right inferior parietal, bilateral medial parietal, and left‑side areas to form a network supporting human navigation.
The neural basis of navigation by humans was investigated with functional neuroimaging of brain activity during navigation in a familiar, yet complex virtual reality town. Activation of the right hippocampus was strongly associated with knowing accurately where places were located and navigating accurately between them. Getting to those places quickly was strongly associated with activation of the right caudate nucleus. These two right-side brain structures function in the context of associated activity in right inferior parietal and bilateral medial parietal regions that support egocentric movement through the virtual town, and activity in other left-side regions (hippocampus, frontal cortex) probably involved in nonspatial aspects of navigation. These findings outline a network of brain areas that support navigation in humans and link the functions of these regions to physiological observations in other mammals.
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