Research article summary:

The well-worn route and the path less traveled: distinct neural bases of route following and wayfinding in humans.

Abstract Extract:
Finding ones way in a large-scale environment may engage different cognitive processes than following a familiar route. The neural bases of these processes were investigated using functional MRI (fMRI). Subjects found their way in one virtual-reality ... (Full abstract text below)

Published 2003Mar in Journal: Neuron (Language : eng)

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1. Neuron. 2003 Mar;37(5):877-88

The well-worn route and the path less traveled: distinct neural bases of route following and wayfinding in humans.

Hartley T, Maguire EA, Spiers HJ, Burgess N

Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, University College London, London, United Kingdom. t.hartley@ucl.ac.uk

Finding one's way in a large-scale environment may engage different cognitive processes than following a familiar route. The neural bases of these processes were investigated using functional MRI (fMRI). Subjects found their way in one virtual-reality town and followed a well-learned route in another. In a control condition, subjects followed a visible trail. Within subjects, accurate wayfinding activated the right posterior hippocampus. Between-subjects correlations with performance showed that good navigators (i.e., accurate wayfinders) activated the anterior hippocampus during wayfinding and head of caudate during route following. These results coincide with neurophysiological evidence for distinct response (caudate) and place (hippocampal) representations supporting navigation. We argue that the type of representation used influences both performance and concomitant fMRI activation patterns.

PMID : 12628177 [PubMed - Indexed for MEDLINE]

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Full Author Information

First Name	LastName	Initials
Tom	Hartley	T
Eleanor A	Maguire	EA
Hugo J	Spiers	HJ
Neil	Burgess	N

Affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, University College London, London, United Kingdom. t.hartley@ucl.ac.uk

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