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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain

Published on: October 13, 2023

Environmental layout complexity affects neural activity during navigation in humans.

Edward Slone¹, Ford Burles¹, Giuseppe Iaria¹

¹NeuroLab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Admin 062, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.

The European Journal of Neuroscience

|March 19, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Environmental complexity impacts human navigation. Simpler environments enhance navigation speed and accuracy, increasing brain activity in key areas like the hippocampus.

Keywords:

environmental neuroscience functional magnetic resonance imaging navigation spatial memory virtual environments

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Spatial Navigation

Background:

Human navigation in large-scale environments is crucial.
Environmental layout, not just individual differences, affects navigational performance.
The impact of environmental complexity on brain activity during navigation is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how brain activity changes with varying environmental complexity during navigation.
To determine if environmental complexity modulates neural activity in brain regions associated with orientation and memory.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
Participants performed a navigation task in two virtual environments differing in interconnection density (complexity).
Brain activity was measured during navigation in simple versus complex environments.

Main Results:

Navigation was faster and more accurate in the simpler environment.
Increased activity was observed in the precuneus, retrosplenial cortex, and hippocampus during navigation in the simpler environment.
These brain areas are known for their roles in mental imagery, navigation, and memory.

Conclusions:

Environmental complexity significantly affects navigational behavior.
Changes in environmental complexity modulate brain activity in key regions supporting navigation and spatial memory.
This provides novel evidence linking environmental structure to neural mechanisms of orientation.