We’re excited to share that members of the SCANN Lab will be presenting two posters (as part of the Sketchpad Series!) at #CNS2026!

Previews are below and here: scannlab.org/cns-2026

Drop by and say hello if you’re at CNS!
#CognitiveNeuroscience #SpatialNavigation #Aging #Memory #Aphantasia

Researchers are recording bat navigation neurons as they explore an island. Nature basically speedrunning the tutorial on spatial awareness. www.quantamagazine.o... #neuroscience #spatialnavigation #worldbuilding #scifi #STEM

Using Virtual Reality to Assess Spatial Navigation Ability in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study Background: Spatial navigation impairment is prevalent in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may appear in its initial clinical stage. To detect this deficit in people at risk may not only help to prevent them from getting lost or going missing, but also provide a useful clinical aid to accurate diagnosis. Traditional assessments for SNI include questionnaires, paper pencil and maze tests, or video games. While a real-world setting is more valid, direct, and accurate, it is plagued by unpredictable conditions such as weather, obstacles, or accidents. Thanks to modern technology, virtual reality (VR) offers a new way to test spatial navigation impairment. Objective: To test the feasibility of a VR setting to assess sense of location in people with mild cognitive impairment due to AD (AD MCI) and its power to discriminate among groups in different clinical conditions. Methods: We used PJVR to test spatial navigation ability in cognitively unimpaired (CU), subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment due to AD (AD MCI). The PJVR is the VR version (Vive Pro Eye Head-mounted Display, HTC) of the PJ device, which has demonstrated its power to discriminate among CU, AD MCI, and mild AD. With a map provided and using joysticks or handles, participants were requested to reach five points on a 660-meter path. Linear deviation (LD) in meters from each target point and vector deviation in degrees from the direction to the start point at each point were treated as the variable for comparison. Results: 113 subjects signed informed consent and joined the study. 93 (82.3%) completed the trials, including 22 CU, 39 SCD and 32 AD MCI. Twenty, or 19.7%, failed the trials due to cyber sickness. The LD of the CU, SCD and MCI were 38.2 (39.5), mean (S.D.), 50.4 (40.7), and 100.04 (46.2) meters respectively (p

New in JMIR Aging: Using Virtual Reality to Assess Spatial Navigation Ability in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study #VirtualReality #CognitiveImpairment #AlzheimersAwareness #SpatialNavigation #AgingResearch

Top: Context representations in hippocampus (HC). Left: The positions of HC electrodes projected onto the MNI152 template from all 25 participants. The red dots are task-selective electrodes (N = 155). The black dots are non-task-selective electrodes (N = 33). Right: A schematic illustration of RSA of HC context representations. Bottom: Object representations in entorhinal cortex (EC). Left: The positions of EC electrodes projected onto the MNI152 template from all 11 participants. The red dots are task-selective electrodes (N = 23). The black dots are non-task-selective electrodes (N = 5). Right: A schematic illustration of EC object representations.

During task performance, the brain must integrate information re goal-related objects with contextual details. This study shows that participants' performance on a #SpatialNavigation task is related to syncing of activity between #hippocampus & #EntorhinalCortex @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3Vrw8id

Top: Context representations in hippocampus (HC). Left: The positions of HC electrodes projected onto the MNI152 template from all 25 participants. The red dots are task-selective electrodes (N = 155). The black dots are non-task-selective electrodes (N = 33). Right: A schematic illustration of RSA of HC context representations. Bottom: Object representations in entorhinal cortex (EC). Left: The positions of EC electrodes projected onto the MNI152 template from all 11 participants. The red dots are task-selective electrodes (N = 23). The black dots are non-task-selective electrodes (N = 5). Right: A schematic illustration of EC object representations.

During task performance, the brain must integrate information re goal-related objects with contextual details. This study shows that participants' performance on a #SpatialNavigation task is related to syncing of activity between #hippocampus & #EntorhinalCortex @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3Vrw8id

Top: Context representations in hippocampus (HC). Left: The positions of HC electrodes projected onto the MNI152 template from all 25 participants. The red dots are task-selective electrodes (N = 155). The black dots are non-task-selective electrodes (N = 33). Right: A schematic illustration of RSA of HC context representations. Bottom: Object representations in entorhinal cortex (EC). Left: The positions of EC electrodes projected onto the MNI152 template from all 11 participants. The red dots are task-selective electrodes (N = 23). The black dots are non-task-selective electrodes (N = 5). Right: A schematic illustration of EC object representations.

During task performance, the brain must integrate information re goal-related objects with contextual details. This study shows that participants' performance on a #SpatialNavigation task is related to syncing of activity between #hippocampus & #EntorhinalCortex @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3Vrw8id

👃🧠 Stereo #olfaction stabilizes #HeadDirection coding in blind mice. Blocking one nostril or removing airflow asymmetry disrupts tuning & spatial orientation → stereo smell is key for a stable #allocentric sense of direction.

#Neuroscience 🧪 #SpatialNavigation

In a recent review, @adekstreme.bsky.social and I revisit how spatial navigation breaks down in aging and early Alzheimer’s disease - and why it’s not just about the brain.

doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

#SpatialNavigation #AgingBrain #EmbodiedCognition #AlzheimerResearch

Thrilling new findings on the role of theta activity in the RSC for both integrating proximal landmark information and physical rotations during path integration.

Great work from @clementnaveilhan.bsky.social and @stephen-ramanoel.bsky.social

#MobileBrainBodyImaging
#mobileEEG
#spatialNavigation

🚨I am recruiting PhD students!🚨
(Please re-post this!)

If you are interested in #spatialNavigation, #fMRI, #aging, #virtualReality, #AlzheimersDisease and more, please consider applying to work with me!

IMPORTANT: Please email me prior to applying!

Ha!! From someone producing #Hiking&HistoryTours... for smartphones!

Get off the #GPS. Improve your #SenseOfDirection with #SpatialNavigation. (Far off #landmarks)

#EnvironmentalNarrative #Explore #TakeTheRoadLessTraveled #ScenicRoute #LondonCabDrivers
#NPR #LifeKit

www.npr.org/transcripts/...