Multiple reference frames used by the human brain for spatial perception and memory

Abstract

We review human functional neuroimaging studies that have explicitly investigated the reference frames used in different cortical regions for representing spatial locations of objects. Beyond the general distinction between "egocentric" and "allocentric" reference frames, we provide evidence for the selective involvement of the posterior parietal cortex and associated frontal regions in the specific process of egocentric localization of visual and somatosensory stimuli with respect to relevant body parts ("body referencing"). Similarly, parahippocampal and retrosplenial regions, together with specific parietal subregions such as the precuneus, are selectively involved in a specific form of allocentric representation in which object locations are encoded relative to enduring spatial features of a familiar environment ("environmental referencing"). We also present a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging study showing that these regions are selectively activated, whenever a purely perceptual spatial task involves an object which maintains a stable location in space during the whole experiment, irrespective of its perceptual features and its orienting value as a landmark. This effect can be dissociated from the consequences of an explicit memory recall of landmark locations, a process that further engages the retrosplenial cortex.

Development of egocentric and allocentric spatial representations from childhood to elderly age

“…For this reason, derived spatial representations are not dependent on the subjective vantage point and a difficulty to retrieve spatial information may emerge due to the need of detaching from the original egocentric perspective (e.g., Iachini, Ruotolo, & Ruggiero, 2009d;McNamara, 2003). Neurofunctional studies have overall reported activation of the posterior parietal/frontal network in egocentric processes and the posteromedial and medio-temporal cerebral substructures in allocentric processes (see Galati et al, 2010).…”

“…Spatial information is stored in human memory according to two classes of spatial frames of reference: egocentric and allocentric (Arnold et al, 2013;Burgess, 2006;Iachini, Ruggiero, Conson, & Trojano, 2009b;O'Keefe & Nadel, 1978;Paillard, 1991;Piaget & Inhelder, 1967;Ruggiero, Frassinetti, Iavarone, & Iachini, 2014; for a review see Galati, Pelle, Berthoz, & Committeri, 2010). Egocentric frames of reference use the organism as the center of the organization of surrounding space.…”

Asymmetric Influence of Egocentric Representation onto Allocentric Perception

“…Human imaging studies found that different cortical regions were active when the subjects processed ego-or allocentric information (Galati et al, 2000(Galati et al, , 2010Gramann et al, 2006;Neggers et al, 2006;Zaehle et al, 2007). However, it is not clearly known whether an object's representation in one coordinate system influences a subject's perception in the other.…”

Anticipatory control and spatial cognition in locomotion and navigation through typical development and in cerebral palsy

“…The manipulation of spatial reference frames, in particular the integration between egocentric and allocentric ones, becomes critical as the participant shifts across different perspectives. 23 It has been demonstrated that children up to the age of 10 fail to use an allocentric reference frame when retrieving previously learnt paths in a radial maze. 24 This failure, rather than to a pure lack of allocentric spatial encoding, has been attributed to a difficulty in switching from egoto allocentric encoding.…”