Egocentric distance perception in older adults: Results from a functional magnetic resonance imaging and driving simulator study

Abstract

The ability to appropriately perceive distances in activities of daily living, such as driving, is necessary when performing complex maneuvers. With aging, certain driving behaviors and cognitive functions change; however, it remains unknown if egocentric distance perception (EDP) performance is altered and whether its neural activity also changes as we grow older. To that end, 19 young and 17 older healthy adults drove in a driving simulator and performed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment where we presented adults with an EDP task. We discovered that (a) EDP task performance was similar between groups, with higher response times in older adults; (b) older adults showed higher prefrontal and parietal activation; and (c) higher functional connectivity within frontal and parietal-occipital-cerebellar networks; and (d) an association between EDP performance and hard braking behaviors in the driving simulator was found. In conclusion, EDP functioning remains largely intact with aging, possibly due to an extended and effective rearrangement in functional brain resources, and may play a role in braking behaviors while driving.

Keywords: driving; egocentric distance perception; fMRI; older adults; simulator.

FIGURE 1

Egocentric distance perception functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm. At each TASK trial participants were instructed to answer in which of the images the vehicle was the furthest (first or second). RT, response time window.

FIGURE 2

Egocentric distance perception performance results. Response Time (left) and Accuracy (right) were compared by groups (YS, young subjects and OS, older subjects) and within Distance; circles indicate the mean and whiskers the 95% confidence interval.

FIGURE 3

Task > Control shared and differential activation patterns between groups. Color-coded activation (hot) and deactivation (winter) parametrical maps. Clusters were FWE-corrected at p < 0.05. YS, young subjects; OS, older subjects.

FIGURE 4

Between-group differences in ROI-to-ROI functional connectivity. Blue edges indicate higher connectivity in older subjects when compared to younger subjects between nodes (in gray). Edges are FDR-corrected at p < 0.05 at the cluster level (connection threshold: p < 0.05). Left: coronal view; right: axial view.