Neural Signatures of Actively Controlled Self-Motion and the Subjective Encoding of Distance

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Human Navigation

Background:

• Environmental navigation relies on perceiving self-motion direction and distance.
• Previous research demonstrated humans can visually reproduce travel distances.
• Understanding the neural mechanisms of spatial perception is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural processes underlying the active reproduction of visually perceived travel distances using electroencephalography (EEG).
• To explore differences in neural activation between self-induced and externally-induced sensory stimulation during simulated self-motion.
• To identify neural correlates of subjective distance perception during navigation.

Main Methods:

• Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from human participants during visually simulated self-motion.
• Participants actively reproduced a seen distance (active condition) and passively experienced self-displacement (passive condition).
• EEG data were analyzed using wavelet-based temporal-frequency analysis, focusing on frontal, central, parietal, and occipital clusters.

Main Results:

• ERP components showed different modulations and latencies between active and passive self-motion conditions, aligning with predictive coding principles.
• Enhanced theta-band activation was observed in frontal, parietal, and occipital clusters just before reaching the subjective single distance (d_sub).
• These findings suggest a neural representation for subjective distance during navigation.

Conclusions:

• Neural activation patterns differ for self-induced versus externally-induced sensory experiences during navigation.
• Enhanced theta-band activity may reflect the neural encoding of subjective distance perception.
• The study provides insights into the neural basis of spatial navigation and subjective perception.