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01-09-2018 | Review Article

Topographical disorientation in aging. Familiarity with the environment does matter

Authors: Antonella Lopez, Alessandro O. Caffò, Andrea Bosco

Published in: Neurological Sciences | Issue 9/2018

Abstract

Topographical disorientation (TD) refers to navigational impairment as an effect of aging or brain damage. Decreases in navigational performance with aging are more due to deficits in the ability to mentally represent space in an object-centered (allocentric) than in a self-centered (egocentric) format. Familiarity/remoteness of spatial memory traces can represent a protective factor for TD in aging. Conversely, using newly learned information for assessment may lead to overestimating TD severity as it combines two contributing factors: heading (allocentric) disorientation and anterograde agnosia. A supplementary evaluation of TD with aging according to ecological spatial tasks is recommended. The core tasks should focus on landmark positioning, both on a blind map (allocentric) and along a route (egocentric) of the hometown so as to disentangle spatial memory for familiar/remote information from decline due to recent encoding of information.

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Title: Topographical disorientation in aging. Familiarity with the environment does matter
Authors: Antonella Lopez
Alessandro O. Caffò
Andrea Bosco
Publication date: 01-09-2018
Publisher: Springer Milan
Published in: Neurological Sciences / Issue 9/2018
Print ISSN: 1590-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1590-3478
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-018-3464-5

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Topographical disorientation in aging. Familiarity with the environment does matter

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