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Updated: Jul 14, 2025
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Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
Published on: October 13, 2023
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Molecular mechanisms underlying human spatial cognitive ability revealed with neurotransmitter and transcriptomic
Jia Yang1,2, Kexuan Chen3, Junyu Zhang1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|October 7, 2023
Summary
This study reveals genetic and molecular factors linked to mental rotation, a key spatial ability. Researchers identified specific genes on the X chromosome associated with brain activity in areas crucial for spatial processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Mental rotation is a core spatial cognitive ability linked to general intelligence.
- Previous research identified brain regions involved, but cellular and molecular mechanisms were unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To uncover the genetic and molecular underpinnings of mental rotation.
- To investigate the relationship between brain structure, function, and spatial cognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and whole-brain neurotransmitter receptor distribution atlas.
- Analyzed transcriptomic data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas.
- Correlated mental rotation performance of 356 healthy individuals with neuroimaging and genetic data.
Main Results:
- Significant associations found between mental rotation performance and gray matter volume/low-frequency fluctuations in visual, sensory-motor, and default mode network areas.
- Observed sex differences in gray matter volume and low-frequency fluctuations in these regions.
- Identified specific genes on the X chromosome, involved in synaptic signaling and hormone response, associated with mental rotation.
Conclusions:
- Provides initial evidence for the neural and molecular mechanisms of mental rotation.
- Highlights the role of X-chromosome genes in spatial cognitive abilities.
- Suggests potential sex-specific neural underpinnings for spatial processing.
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