Assessing Mental Imagery to Evaluate Topographical Disorientation: Group Study and Preliminary Normative Data

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Navigational deficits significantly impair daily life, yet no specific neuropsychological test exists for spatial orientation.
• Theoretical vagueness and interindividual differences in spatial cognition contribute to the lack of specialized assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel standardized test designed to evaluate mental imagery, a crucial component of spatial orientation.
• To assess the impact of right cerebral lesions on global, categorical, and precise, metric mental imagery.

Main Methods:

• Administered a new mental imagery test to 58 patients with right cerebral lesions and 117 controls.
• Evaluated performance under two conditions: global, categorical imagery and precise, metric imagery.
• Assessed the influence of sociodemographic factors (age, gender, education) on mental imagery abilities.

Main Results:

• Patients with right cerebral lesions demonstrated impaired mental imagery, particularly in the precise, metric condition.
• Age significantly impacted mental imagery abilities globally, while education had a milder effect.
• Preliminary normative data were provided, suggesting clinical utility despite small sample sizes in some analyses.

Conclusions:

• The developed test is a valuable tool for assessing mental imagery and spatial orientation in clinical settings.
• Right cerebral lesions affect mental imagery, with metric abilities being more vulnerable.
• Age and education are significant factors influencing spatial cognition and mental imagery performance.