Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
11:01
Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: August 30, 2011
12.6K
Allocentric but not egocentric orientation is impaired during normal aging: an ERP study
Ségolène Lithfous1, André Dufour1, Frédéric Blanc1
1Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg.
Neuropsychology
|April 23, 2014
Summary
Older adults struggle with object-centered (allocentric) spatial navigation due to attentional declines. Self-centered (egocentric) navigation remains intact, suggesting attention is key to age-related spatial navigation deficits.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuropsychology
- Human Aging Research
Background:
- Behavioral studies indicate age-related decline in allocentric (object-centered) spatial navigation, while egocentric (self-centered) navigation is preserved.
- Navigational deficits in aging may stem from broader impairments in perception, attention, or executive functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate allocentric and egocentric spatial representations in elderly individuals.
- To investigate the relationship between age-related spatial navigation deficits and attentional decline.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) recording was used to assess the encoding of geometrical shape positions.
- Participants (young and old) performed tasks requiring allocentric or egocentric spatial reference frames.
Main Results:
- Older adults showed decreased performance in allocentric encoding but not egocentric encoding.
- Age-related differences were observed in early (P1, N1) and attention-related (P2, N2) EEG components across both spatial conditions.
- Impaired allocentric performance in older adults correlated with increased P2 amplitude and delayed P2 latency.
Conclusions:
- Elderly individuals exhibit spatial orientation deficits when relying on allocentric representation.
- These allocentric deficits are linked to age-related declines in spatial attention.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood
1.4K
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
1.4K
01:24Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition
468
A revisionist approach to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has brought new insights that challenge and reinterpret his established ideas. Piaget proposed that the formal operational stage, emerging in adolescence, represents the culmination of cognitive maturity. During this stage, individuals are said to develop abstract thinking, engage in systematic problem-solving, and show a form of egocentrism, believing others are as preoccupied with their behavior as they are...
468
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
367
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
367
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
861
As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
861