{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T19:57:36Z","timestamp":1780084656065,"version":"3.54.0"},"reference-count":62,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,16]],"date-time":"2022-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1663286400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Deficits in spatial navigation in three-dimensional space are prevalent in various neurological disorders and are a sensitive cognitive marker for prodromal Alzheimer\u2019s disease, but are also associated with non-pathological aging. However, standard neuropsychological tests used in clinical settings lack ecological validity to adequately assess spatial navigation. Experimental paradigms, on the other hand, are often too difficult for seniors or patients with cognitive or motor impairments since most require operating a human interface device (HID) or use complex episodic memory tasks. Here, we introduce an intuitive navigation assessment, which is conceptualized using cognitive models of spatial navigation and designed to account for the limited technical experience and diverging impairments of elderly participants and neurological patients. The brief computer paradigm uses videos of hallways filmed with eye tracking glasses, without employing an episodic memory task or requiring participants to operate a HID. Proof of concept data from 34 healthy, middle-aged and elderly participants (56\u201378 years) provide evidence for the assessment\u2019s feasibility and construct validity as a navigation paradigm. Test performance showed normal distribution and was sensitive to age and education, which needs to be considered when investigating the assessment\u2019s psychometric properties in larger samples and clinical populations. Correlations of the navigation assessment with other neuropsychological tests confirmed its dependence on visuospatial skills rather than visual episodic memory, with age driving the association with working memory. The novel paradigm is suitable for a differentiated investigation of spatial navigation in elderly individuals and promising for experimental research in clinical settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0270563","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,16]],"date-time":"2022-09-16T13:46:27Z","timestamp":1663335987000},"page":"e0270563","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Intuitive assessment of spatial navigation beyond episodic memory: Feasibility and proof of concept in middle-aged and elderly individuals"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6161-6621","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sophia","family":"Rekers","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Niedeggen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0270563.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9285","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1901600116","article-title":"Toward personalized cognitive diagnostics of at-genetic-risk Alzheimer\u2019s disease","volume":"116","author":"G Coughlan","year":"2019","journal-title":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America"},{"key":"pone.0270563.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"430","DOI":"10.1126\/science.aac8128","article-title":"Reduced grid-cell-like representations in adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease","volume":"350","author":"L Kunz","year":"2015","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"pone.0270563.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"201","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arr.2012.04.007","article-title":"Spatial navigation in normal aging and the prodromal stage of Alzheimer\u2019s disease: Insights from imaging and behavioral studies","volume":"12","author":"S Lithfous","year":"2013","journal-title":"Ageing Research Reviews"},{"key":"pone.0270563.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1007\/s00415-020-10079-z","article-title":"Spatial navigation in early multiple sclerosis: A neglected cognitive marker of the disease","volume":"268","author":"E N\u011bm\u00e1","year":"2021","journal-title":"Journal of Neurology"},{"key":"pone.0270563.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cortex.2015.03.016","article-title":"Lost in spatial translation\u2014A novel tool to objectively assess spatial disorientation in Alzheimer\u2019s disease and frontotemporal dementia","volume":"67","author":"S Tu","year":"2015","journal-title":"Cortex."},{"key":"pone.0270563.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"473","DOI":"10.3233\/JAD-2012-120769","article-title":"Lost and forgotten? 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