Combining patient-lesion and big data approaches to reveal hippocampal contributions to spatial memory and navigation
Sara Pishdadian,
Antoine Coutrot,
Lauren Webber,
Michael Hornberger,
Hugo Spiers,
R. Shayna Rosenbaum
Affiliations
Sara Pishdadian
Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada; Vision: Science to Application (VISTA) Program, York University, Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto M6A 2E1, Canada; Complex Care and Recovery Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto M6J 1H4, Canada; Corresponding author
Antoine Coutrot
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Lyon, 69361 Lyon, France
Lauren Webber
Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada
Michael Hornberger
Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
Hugo Spiers
Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1N 3AZ, UK; Corresponding author
R. Shayna Rosenbaum
Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada; Vision: Science to Application (VISTA) Program, York University, Toronto M3J 1P3, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto M6A 2E1, Canada; Corresponding author
Summary: Classic findings of impaired allocentric spatial learning and memory following hippocampal lesions indicate that the hippocampus supports cognitive maps of one’s environment. Many studies assess navigation in vista space virtual reality environments and compare hippocampal-lesioned individuals’ performance to that of small control samples, potentially stifling detection of preserved and impaired performance. Using the mobile app Sea Hero Quest, we examined navigation in diverse complex environments in two individuals with hippocampal lesions relative to demographically matched controls (N = 17,734). We found surprisingly accurate navigation in several environments, particularly those containing a constrained set of sub-goals, paths, and/or turns. Areas of impaired performance may reflect a role for the hippocampus in anterograde memory and more flexible and/or precise spatial representations, even when the need for allocentric processing is minimal. The results emphasize the value of combining single cases with big data and illustrate navigation performance profiles in individuals with hippocampal compromise.
