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Updated: Mar 9, 2026
Practical Methodology of Cognitive Tasks Within a Navigational Assessment
Published on: June 1, 2015
Classification of navigation impairment: A systematic review of neuropsychological case studies
Michiel H G Claessen1, Ineke J M van der Ham2
1Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands; Center of Excellence in Rehabilitation Medicine, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The neurocognitive architecture of navigation ability has been investigated by extensively studying the navigation problems of individual neurological patients. These neuropsychological case reports have applied highly variable approaches to establish navigation impairment in their patients. This review provides a systematic and up-to-date inventory of all relevant case studies and presents an analysis of the types of navigation impairments that have been described. The systematic literature search revealed 58 relevant papers reporting on 67 neurological patients. Close analysis of their patterns of navigation performance suggests three main categories of navigation impairments. These categories are related to three types of representations that are considered highly relevant for accurate navigation: knowledge of landmarks, locations, and paths. The resulting model is intended to serve both clinical and theoretical advances in the study of navigation ability and its neural correlates.
