Lateralisation of spatial processing and age

Studies assessing spatial ability suggest right hemisphere specialisation for coordinate spatial processing and left hemisphere specialisation for categorical spatial processing. With regard to healthy ageing, spatial abilities may be affected selectively, with right hemisphere based coordinate processes being more vulnerable to age-related decline, but previous research has been inconsistent. In the present study, age and hemispheric specialisation of categorical and coordinate spatial abilities were explored. Testing 56 right-handed younger and older participants clearly showed a left hemisphere advantage for the categorical task and a right hemisphere advantage for the coordinate spatial task, for both age groups combined. Older adults were slower to process information and make a spatial judgement; nevertheless, the neural specialisation underlying spatial abilities seems to have remained consistent with age.