Reference Frames for Spatial Cognition: Different Brain Areas are Involved in Viewer-, Object-, and Landmark-Centered Judgments About Object Location

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to compare the neural correlates of three different types of spatial coding, which are implicated in crucial cognitive functions of our everyday life, such as visuomotor coordination and orientation in topographical space. By manipulating the requested spatial reference during a task of relative distance estimation, we directly compared viewer-centered, object-centered, and landmark-centered spatial coding of the same realistic 3-D information. Common activation was found in bilateral parietal, occipital, and right frontal premotor regions. The retrosplenial and ventromedial occipital-temporal cortex (and parts of the parietal and occipital cortex) were significantly more activated during the landmark-centered condition. The ventrolateral occipital-temporal cortex was particularly involved in object-centered coding. Results strongly demonstrate that viewer-centered (egocentric) coding is restricted to the dorsal stream and connected frontal regions, whereas a coding centered on external references requires both dorsal and ventral regions, depending on the reference being a movable object or a landmark.

Dissociating the neural mechanisms of distance and spatial reference frames

“…This result with regards to distance is in keeping with earlier TMS 18 studies (Lane et al, 2013;Mahayana et al, 2014), and although rFEF has been specifically associated with egocentric processing by some (Grimsen et al, 2008), other studies have demonstrated overlapping activation in such frontal regions between egocentric and allocentric tasks (Chechlacz et al, 2012;Committeri et al,. 2004;Galati et al, 2000;Zaehle et al, 2007).…”

“…The role of rPPC in processing near space is in accordance with previous research (Bjoertomt et al, 2002;Halligan & Marshall, 1991;Lane et al, 2013;Mennemeier et al, 1992;Weiss et al, 2000), as is its relationship with egocentric processing (Committeri et al, 2004;Galati et al, 2000;Hillis et al, 2005;Medina et al, 2009;Neggers et al, 2006;Vallar et al, 1999). Neuropsychological research has indicated that the right hemisphere is involved in egocentric processing in near space (Iachini, Ruggiero, Conson & Trojano, 2013), although this finding was based on extensive fronto-parietal lesions in only four patients making it difficult to determine the precise brain area underlying their impairment .…”

“…Dorsal, ventral and frontal regions have also been implicated in the processing of these reference frames, with evidence that the dorsal stream may be specialised for egocentric and the ventral stream for allocentric processing (Committeri et al, 2004;Grimsen, Hildebrandt & Fahle, 2008;Hillis et al, 2005;Honda, Wise, Weeks, Deiber & Hallett, 1998;Medina et al, 2009;Neggers, Van der Lubbe, Ramsey & Postma, 2006;Vallar et al, 1999;Verdon, Schwartz, Lovblad, Hauert & Vuilleumier, 2010). There may also be a particular role for associated 5 frontal areas, including the rFEF, for egocentric space (Grimsen et al, 2008;Neggers et al, 2006;Vallar et al, 1999).…”

“…There may also be a particular role for associated 5 frontal areas, including the rFEF, for egocentric space (Grimsen et al, 2008;Neggers et al, 2006;Vallar et al, 1999). However, there is also evidence for considerable overlap in the areas associated with egocentric and allocentric processing, particularly within the right frontoparietal network (Chechlacz, Rothstein, & Humpreys, 2012;Committeri et al, 2004;Galati et al, 2000;Zaehle et al, 2007).…”

Neural correlates of virtual route recognition in congenital blindness

“…The role of the hippocampus for navigation in large-scale environments has been amply demonstrated in both animal (6-8) and human studies (9-11). Besides the hippocampus, several other areas in the posterior mesial lobe and posterior parietal, occipital, and infero-temporal cortices also play an important role in navigation (9,(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17).The neural correlates of navigation in congenital blindness remain elusive, in part owing to the difficulty in testing navigational skills of blind subjects within the setting of a functional brain imaging study. To circumvent this difficulty, we trained blind and sighted subjects in a spatial navigation task using the tongue display unit (TDU), a visual-to-tactile sensory substitution device that converts visual information into electro-tactile pulses applied to the tongue (18, 19).…”