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Using MazeSuite and Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Learning in Spatial Navigation

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Semantic Modulation of Spatial Judgments in Augmented Reality: Evidence from fNIRS.

Francesco Ruotolo^1,2, Renato Orti³, Michela Possenti³

¹Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality (CS-IVR), Department of Psychology, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico, 31, Caserta, 81100, Italy. francesco.ruotolo@unicampania.it.

Brain Topography

|December 22, 2025

Summary

Semantic knowledge impacts brain activity during spatial tasks in augmented reality. Thematic object relationships most strongly influenced brain responses during specific allocentric judgments.

Keywords:

Coordinate and categorical spatial relations Egocentric and allocentric reference frames Functional and thematic semantic knowledge Neuro-XR Spatial memory fNIRS

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Published on: November 30, 2022

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

Understanding how the brain processes spatial information is crucial.
Semantic relationships between objects can influence cognitive tasks.
Augmented reality (AR) offers a novel platform for studying spatial cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of semantic relationships (thematic vs. functional) on cortical activity during spatial judgments in an AR environment.
To examine how different spatial reference frames (egocentric vs. allocentric) and relation types (coordinate vs. categorical) interact with semantic processing.
To explore the neural mechanisms underlying the interplay between meaning and spatial representation.

Main Methods:

Participants performed spatial judgments on object triads in AR.
Object triads were either thematically or functionally related.
Cortical activity was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Main Results:

Semantic modulation of cortical activity was most pronounced during allocentric-coordinate spatial judgments.
Thematic triads showed increased temporal region activation compared to functional triads in allocentric-coordinate conditions.
Functionally related triads engaged parietal regions more broadly, while egocentric judgments showed widespread parietal activity with less semantic modulation.

Conclusions:

Semantic knowledge significantly modulates neural activity during spatial processing in AR.
The findings highlight the interaction between meaning-based knowledge and spatial representation in the brain.
Combining AR and fNIRS provides a powerful tool for investigating cognitive processes.