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. 2021;79(1):95-116.
doi: 10.3233/JAD-201017.

Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment with Real-World and Virtual Navigation Tasks: A Systematic Review

Cosimo Tuena  1 , Valentina Mancuso  1 , Chiara Stramba-Badiale  1 , Elisa Pedroli  1   2 , Marco Stramba-Badiale  3 , Giuseppe Riva  1   4 , Claudia Repetto  5
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Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment with Real-World and Virtual Navigation Tasks: A Systematic Review

Cosimo Tuena et al. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021.

Abstract

Background: Spatial navigation is the ability to estimate one's position on the basis of environmental and self-motion cues. Spatial memory is the cognitive substrate underlying navigation and relies on two different reference frames: egocentric and allocentric. These spatial frames are prone to decline with aging and impairment is even more pronounced in Alzheimer's disease (AD) or in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of experimental studies investigating which MCI population and tasks are used to evaluate spatial memory and how allocentric and egocentric deficits are impaired in MCI after navigation.

Methods: PRISMA and PICO guidelines were applied to carry out the systematic search. Down and Black checklist was used to assess methodological quality.

Results: Our results showed that amnestic MCI and AD pathology are the most investigated typologies; both egocentric and allocentric memory are impaired in MCI individuals, and MCI due to AD biomarkers has specific encoding and retrieval impairments; secondly, spatial navigation is principally investigated with the hidden goal task (virtual and real-world version), and among studies involving virtual reality, the privileged setting consists of non-immersive technology; thirdly, despite subtle differences, real-world and virtual versions showed good overlap for the assessment of MCI spatial memory.

Conclusion: Considering that MCI is a subclinical entity with potential risk for conversion to dementia, investigating spatial memory deficits with navigation tasks might be crucial to make accurate diagnosis and rehabilitation.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; embodiment; mild cognitive impairment; navigation; spatial memory; virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors’ disclosures available online (https://www.j-alz.com/manuscript-disclosures/20-1017r1).

Figures

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PRISMA flowchart
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