Abstract
Spatial cognition is the process by which individuals interact with their spatial environment. Spatial cognition encompasses the specific skills of spatial memory, spatial orientation, and spatial navigation. Prior studies have shown an association between psychometric tests of spatial ability and self-reported or virtual measures of spatial navigation. In this study, we examined whether psychometric spatial cognitive tests predict performance on a dynamic spatial navigation task that involves movement through an environment. We recruited 151 community-dwelling adult participants [mean (SD) age 69.7 (13.6), range 24.6–93.2] from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Spatial navigation ability was assessed using the triangle completion task (TCT), and two quantities, the angle and distance of deviation, were computed. Visuospatial cognitive ability was assessed primarily using the Card Rotations Test. Additional tests of executive function, memory, and attention were also administered. In multiple linear regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, race, and education, cognitive tests of visuospatial ability, executive function, and perceptual motor speed and integration were significantly associated with spatial navigation, as determined by performance on the TCT. These findings suggest that dynamic spatial navigation ability is related to spatial memory, executive function, and motor processing speed.
Highlights
Spatial cognition is the domain of cognitive function that relates to the processing of information about one’s spatial environment
In this study of healthy adults, we observed that cognitive tests of visuospatial ability, as well as executive function and perceptual motor speed and integration were significantly associated with path integration, as determined by performance on the Triangle Completion Task (TCT)
Navigation strategies include allocentric navigation, i.e., orientation and movement are calculated relative to visual landmarks and external cues, and egocentric navigation, i.e., individuals use selfmotion cues provided by the visual system, vestibular system, and proprioception to track their movement [31,32,33]
Summary
Spatial cognition is the domain of cognitive function that relates to the processing of information about one’s spatial environment. Impaired spatial cognition has been linked to functional limitations and adverse outcomes in older adults, including driving difficulty, losing, or misplacing objects, difficulty navigating new environments, and falls [5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Static psychometric measures of spatial orientation (and mental rotation), such as the Card Rotations Test, are sometimes used as a proxy in clinical and research settings for assessing spatial cognitive abilities [12, 13]. It is unclear how these stationary tests of spatial
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