A Study on Assessment Methods of Spatial Cognition during Navigation: Focusing on Behavior and Brain Mechanisms

概要

As maps, location-based services, and other tools have become more sophisticated in terms
of digitization and operation, the map-reading ability required of users has also increased.
Although sophisticated maps and geographic information tools are convenient, they are also
capable of substituting spatial thinking, and purportedly hinder hippocampal growth and
decrease location memory compared to paper maps and other tools. In today's hyper-aging
society, the number of persons who go missing due to wandering caused by impaired spatial
cognition is increasing, and early detection of cognitive decline is an urgent issue.
Spatial cognition research has been conducted not only in architecture, neuroscience, and
psychology, but also in geography to elucidate cognitive processes involving the drawing of
cognitive distances and mental maps to clarify spatial images in people's minds. However,
these techniques have limitations in elucidating cognitive processes in real-world navigation
based on drawn mental maps. Conversely, although spatial cognition research in the field of
neuroscience has reported very important findings in elucidating cognitive processes, the
application of research findings in animals to humans has been slow due to ethical issues and
the influence of psychological schools.
In this context, this study aimed to elucidate spatial cognition mechanisms during human
navigation and proposed a better evaluation method of spatial cognition functions related to
navigation from both behavioral and brain mechanisms. Taking advantage of the fact that
geographical experiments are conducted on human participants, a characteristic not often
observed in neuroscience, which often focuses on animal experiments, we conducted EEG
measurement experiments, behavioral experiments, and neuropsychological tests based on
findings from neuroscience. Specifically, to evaluate spatial cognition related to navigation,
we classified the cognitive functions necessary for manipulating spatial images, which are
considered to be related to navigation ability, into three categories and set cognitive tasks for
each category. The cognitive tasks were then analyzed to ensure the accuracy of spatial
cognition evaluation using three methods: behavioral experiments, EEG measurement
experiments, and neuropsychological testing.
These experiments revealed that mental rotation ability, which is considered to be related
to the external frame of reference among the spatial frames of reference, was capable of
demonstrating spatial cognition performance based on the behavioral indices of correct
response rate and reaction time when performed on non-elderly, healthy research
participants. Moreover, spatial cognition is difficult to evaluate based on aspects of behavioral
indices alone when conducted in elderly people or individuals with impaired motor function. ...