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Egocentric Spatial Memory Deficit in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment Revealed Through Virtual Reality:
Cosimo Tuena1,2, Silvia Serino3, Chiara Stramba-Badiale2
1Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy.
JMIR Aging
|February 25, 2026
Summary
Individuals with mild cognitive impairment show deficits in both egocentric and allocentric spatial memory. Egocentric spatial memory errors using virtual reality are a sensitive predictor of Alzheimer disease diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Spatial navigation relies on egocentric and allocentric frames of reference.
- Alzheimer disease (AD) critically impairs allocentric navigation due to hippocampal involvement.
- The role of egocentric representations in early AD stages is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spatial memory performance in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) using virtual reality.
- To assess the impact of egocentric vs. allocentric cue availability on spatial memory recall.
- To identify potential digital biomarkers for early AD detection.
Main Methods:
- Eighty participants (40 aMCI, 40 healthy controls [HC]) completed a virtual reality object-location memory task.
- Recall was tested using either discrete landmark (egocentric) or environmental boundary (allocentric) cues.
- Navigation paths and response coordinates were analyzed to assess spatial strategies.
Main Results:
- Participants with aMCI showed significantly poorer spatial memory than HC, irrespective of the spatial frame of reference.
- Egocentric spatial errors in virtual reality predicted aMCI diagnosis.
- aMCI patients exhibited altered navigation patterns and less effective cue utilization during recall.
Conclusions:
- Egocentric spatial memory impairments are present in early AD and complement known allocentric deficits.
- Dual impairment in spatial cognition systems offers insights into navigational difficulties in aMCI.
- Virtual reality-based egocentric spatial memory tasks show promise as sensitive digital biomarkers for AD.
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