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Cecilia Guariglia - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Topographical Disorientation: Clinical and Theoretical Significance of Long-Lasting Improvements Following Imagery-Based Training.
Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2019Co-Authors: Maddalena Boccia, Alessia Bonavita, Sofia Diana, Antonella Di Vita, Maria Paola Ciurli, Cecilia GuarigliaAbstract:Neuropsychological studies on acquired Topographical Disorientation have provided useful insights into the contribution of different brain regions to human navigation. However, little is known about the possibility to restore navigational skills after brain damage. Here we describe the case of No Longer Lost (NLL), a 49-year-old man who complained of severe Topographical Disorientation following traumatic brain injury. Extensive neuropsychological evaluation at baseline revealed selective episodic memory deficits and Topographical Disorientation. NLL underwent 8-week imagery-based treatment (IBT) inspired by current cognitive models of human spatial navigation. After IBT, NLL improved Topographical skills and episodic memory. From a clinical point of view, the present study describes a model-based intervention for Topographical Disorientation. From a theoretical point of view, it provides new insights into the cognitive models of human spatial navigation and straightforward evidence about common phylogenetic roots of brain mechanisms devoted to spatial navigation and memory.
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selective map following navigation deficit a new case of developmental Topographical Disorientation
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2018Co-Authors: Massimiliano Conson, Maddalena Boccia, Antonella Di Vita, Filippo Bianchini, Mario Quarantelli, Sara Salzano, Cecilia GuarigliaAbstract:Introduction: Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) is a lifelong condition in which affected individuals are selectively impaired in navigating space. Although it seems that DTD is wide...
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Selective map-following navigation deficit: A new case of developmental Topographical Disorientation.
Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology, 2018Co-Authors: Massimiliano Conson, Maddalena Boccia, Antonella Di Vita, Filippo Bianchini, Mario Quarantelli, Sara Salzano, Cecilia GuarigliaAbstract:ABSTRACTIntroduction: Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) is a lifelong condition in which affected individuals are selectively impaired in navigating space. Although it seems that DTD is widespread in the population, only a few cases have been studied from both a behavioral and a neuroimaging point of view. Here, we report a new case of DTD, never described previously, of a young woman (C.F.) showing a specific deficit in translating allocentrically coded information into egocentrically guided navigation, in presence of spared ability of constructing such representations.Method: A series of behavioral experiments was performed together with a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Results: We demonstrated that C.F. was fully effective in learning and following routes and in building up cognitive maps as well as in recognizing landmarks. C.F.’s navigational skills, instead, dropped drastically in the map-following task when she was required to use a map to navigate in a no...
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Finding my own way: an fMRI single case study of a subject with developmental Topographical Disorientation.
Neurocase, 2014Co-Authors: Federico Nemmi, Laura Piccardi, Liana Palermo, Filippo Bianchini, Umberto Sabatini, Patrice Péran, Federica Piras, Cecilia GuarigliaAbstract:Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) causes impaired spatial orientation and navigation from early childhood with no evidence of cerebral damage. Using fMRI and a landmark sequencing task, we investigated the hypothesis that Dr Wai’s abnormal cerebral activation pattern was related to his peculiar behavioral profile. Although Dr Wai was able to correctly perform landmark sequencing, he showed a lack of activity in regions activated in all control subjects and activity in areas that were not activated in any control subject. These results are discussed in light of cognitive and functional model of navigation, with relevant implications for DTD physiology.
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Looking for the compass in a case of developmental Topographical Disorientation: A behavioral and neuroimaging study
Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology, 2014Co-Authors: Liana Palermo, Laura Piccardi, Filippo Bianchini, Chiara Incoccia, Umberto Sabatini, Federico Nemmi, Vincenzo Giorgio, Cecilia GuarigliaAbstract:Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) is the presence of navigational deficits in the context of normal intellectual ability and in the absence of any perinatal, neurological, or psychiatric disorder. As only three cases of DTD have been fully described thus far, we are still unable to draw definitive conclusions about its nature and relationship with other visuospatial competencies, such as mental rotation. The case of Mr. L.A., a 38-year-old man with no history of neurological or psychiatric disorders, sheds some light on these open questions. A neuropsychological assessment including IQ, memory, visuospatial, visuoconstructive, and navigational tests showed that Mr. L.A. has pure navigational deficits affecting both route knowledge and cognitive map processing. Unlike previously described cases of DTD, Mr. L.A. was not affected by any other visuospatial or visuoconstructive deficits. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task involving the recall of route knowledge, Mr. L.A. showed activation in the occipital areas, involved in low-level perceptual analysis of the stimuli, and showed no activation in the areas activated in controls with regard to route knowledge. The present case suggests that different types of DTD exist, which are characterized by different navigational difficulties and anomalous/lacking functional brain activities in specific navigational networks.
Giuseppe Iaria - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Behavioural and cognitive mechanisms of Developmental Topographical Disorientation.
Scientific reports, 2020Co-Authors: Ford Burles, Giuseppe IariaAbstract:Individuals affected by Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) get lost on a daily basis, even in the most familiar of surroundings such as their neighbourhood, the building where they have worked for many years, and, in extreme cases, even in their own homes. Individuals with DTD report a lifelong selective inability to orient despite otherwise well-preserved general cognitive functions, and the absence of any acquired brain injury or neurological condition, with general intelligence reported to be within the normal range. To date, the mechanisms underlying such a selective developmental condition remain unknown. Here, we report the findings of a 10-year-long study investigating the behavioural and cognitive mechanisms of DTD in a large sample of 1211 cases. We describe the demographics, heritability pattern, self-reported and objective spatial abilities, and some personality traits of individuals with DTD as compared to a sample of 1624 healthy controls; importantly, we test the specific hypothesis that the presence of DTD is significantly related to the inability of the individuals to form a mental representation of the spatial surroundings (i.e., a cognitive map). We found that individuals with DTD reported relatively greater levels of neuroticism and negative affect, and rated themselves more poorly on self-report measures of memory and imagery skills related to objects, faces, and places. While performing interactive tasks, as a group, the individuals with DTD performed slightly worse on a scene-based perspective-taking task, and, notably struggled to solve tasks that demand the generation and use of a cognitive map. These novel findings help define the phenotype of DTD, and lay the foundation for future studies of the neurological and genetic mechanisms of this lifelong condition.
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Familial aggregation in developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD).
Cognitive neuropsychology, 2016Co-Authors: Sarah F. Barclay, Ford Burles, Kendra Potocki, Kate M. Rancourt, Mary Lou Nicolson, N. Torben Bech-hansen, Giuseppe IariaAbstract:ABSTRACTA variety of brain lesions may affect the ability to orient, resulting in what is termed “acquired Topographical Disorientation”. In some individuals, however, Topographical Disorientation is present from childhood, with no apparent brain abnormalities and otherwise intact general cognitive abilities, a condition referred to as “developmental Topographical Disorientation” (DTD). Individuals affected by DTD often report relatives experiencing the same lifelong orientation difficulties. Here, we sought to assess the familial aggregation of DTD by investigating its occurrence in the families of DTD probands, and in the families of control probands who did not experience Topographical Disorientation. We found that DTD appears to cluster in the DTD families, with tested relatives displaying the trait, whereas in the control families we did not detect any individuals with DTD. These findings provide the very first evidence for the familial clustering of DTD and motivate further work investigating the ge...
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Developmental Topographical Disorientation
Trends in cognitive sciences, 2016Co-Authors: Giuseppe Iaria, Ford BurlesAbstract:Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) refers to the lifelong inability to orient in extremely familiar surroundings despite the absence of any acquired brain damage or neurological disorder. Here, we describe the findings of this newly discovered condition, and highlight how this phenomenon provides novel insights into the mechanisms underlying human spatial navigation.
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Developmental Topographical Disorientation and decreased hippocampal functional connectivity
Hippocampus, 2014Co-Authors: Giuseppe Iaria, Sarah F. Barclay, Ford Burles, Aiden E. G. F. Arnold, Irene Liu, Edward Slone, Torben Bech-hansen, Richard M. LevyAbstract:Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) is a newly discovered cognitive disorder in which individuals experience a lifelong history of getting lost in both novel and familiar surroundings. Recent studies have shown that such a selective orientation defect relies primarily on the inability of the individuals to form cognitive maps, i.e., mental representations of the surrounding that allow individuals to get anywhere from any location in the environment, although other orientation skills are additionally affected. To date, the neural correlates of this developmental condition are unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that DTD may be related to ineffective functional connectivity between the hippocampus (HC; known to be critical for cognitive maps) and other brain regions critical for spatial orientation. A group of individuals with DTD and a group of control subjects underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) scan. In addition, we performed voxel-based morphometry to investigate potential structural differences between individuals with DTD and controls. The results of the rsfMRI study revealed a decreased functional connectivity between the right HC and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in individuals with DTD. No structural differences were detected between groups. These findings provide evidence that ineffective functional connectivity between HC and PFC may affect the monitoring and processing of spatial information while moving within an environment, resulting in the lifelong selective inability of individuals with DTD to form cognitive maps that are critical for orienting in both familiar and unfamiliar surroundings. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Topographical Disorientation in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study
Journal of clinical neurology (Seoul Korea), 2010Co-Authors: Tae-sung Lim, Giuseppe Iaria, So Young MoonAbstract:Background and PurposezzTo assess the neural substrates underlying Topographical disori-entation (TD) in patients affected by mild cognitive impairment (MCI), forty-one patients diag-nosed with MCI and 24 healthy control individuals were recruited.MethodszzTD was assessed clinically in all participants. Neurological and neuropsychological evaluations and a volumetric-head magnetic resonance imaging scan were performed in each participant. Voxel-based morphometry was used to compare patterns of gray-matter atrophy between patients with and without TD, and a group of normal controls.ResultszzWe found TD in 17 out of the 41 MCI patients (41.4%). The functional abilities were significantly impaired in MCI patients with TD compared to in MCI patients without TD. Vox-el-based morphometry analyses showed that the presence of TD in MCI patients is associated with loss of gray matter in the medial temporal regions, including the hippocampus and para-hippocampal cortex, the fusiform gyrus, the inferior occipital gyrus, the amygdala, and the cer-ebellum.ConclusionszzThe findings found in this study represent the first evidence that the presence of TD in patients with MCI is associated with loss of gray matter in those brain regions that have been documented to be responsible for orientation in both neuropsychological and neuroimag-ing studies. 6
Francesca Morganti - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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neuropsychological and virtual reality assessment in Topographical Disorientation
Annual review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine, 2009Co-Authors: Laura Carelli, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Francesca Morganti, Flavia Mattioli, Chiara Stampatori, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Although literature does not provide a unique explanation, the importance of hippocampus for human Topographical learning and orientation is assumed to be relevant by most of the authors. There is considerable evidence that the hippocampus is necessary for acquiring cognitive maps of allocentric space, which includes Topographical knowledge of large-scale real environments. This study aimed to investigate neuropsychological and behavioral characteristics of Topographical Disorientation in a 71 years old patient, affected by an ischemic bilateral occipital lesion involving the hippocampus. Several assessment methods have been involved: neuropsychological test, paper and pencil test for the evaluation of Topographical abilities, and a Virtual Reality tool. Experimental evidences for the value of an integrated evaluation approach in underlying spatial orientation difficulties are provided.
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Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine - Neuropsychological and virtual reality assessment in Topographical Disorientation.
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2009Co-Authors: Laura Carelli, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Francesca Morganti, Flavia Mattioli, Chiara Stampatori, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Although literature does not provide a unique explanation, the importance of hippocampus for human Topographical learning and orientation is assumed to be relevant by most of the authors. There is considerable evidence that the hippocampus is necessary for acquiring cognitive maps of allocentric space, which includes Topographical knowledge of large-scale real environments. This study aimed to investigate neuropsychological and behavioral characteristics of Topographical Disorientation in a 71 years old patient, affected by an ischemic bilateral occipital lesion involving the hippocampus. Several assessment methods have been involved: neuropsychological test, paper and pencil test for the evaluation of Topographical abilities, and a Virtual Reality tool. Experimental evidences for the value of an integrated evaluation approach in underlying spatial orientation difficulties are provided.
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Long-lasting Topographical Disorientation in new environments
Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 2008Co-Authors: Maria Luisa Rusconi, Francesca Morganti, Anna PaladinoAbstract:We describe the case of a young woman with long-lasting Topographical Disorientation following a haemorrhagic lesion of the right temporo-occipital region involving the hippocampus. She was unable to orient herself in novel environments and to perform learning spatial tasks both in real-world settings and laboratory conditions. Her ability to recall and navigate through known routes as well as to recognize familiar landmarks was preserved. Neuropsychological evaluation revealed a mild long-term memory deficit. A similar neuropsychological and experimental pattern was observed 8 years later (at the time of follow-up) when she showed a persistent Topographical Disorientation and a slight worsening of verbal and visuo-spatial long-term memory disorders. Her Topographical Disorientation was characterized by an impairment confined to the anterograde memory domain, a not frequent pattern reported in literature, in the absence of remote Topographical memory disorders. The presence of a lesion localized in the right occipito-temporal region and hippocampus combined with the results observed in some experimental tasks could also contribute to the debate of the role of neural correlates involved in Topographical spatial knowledge.
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The use of virtual environments for survey spatial ability evaluation in Topographical Disorientation.
Behavioural neurology, 2008Co-Authors: Francesca Morganti, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Anna Paladino, Giuliano Geminiani, Antonella CarassaAbstract:Due to their interactivity and to the sense of presence they afford, virtual environments constitute an interesting opportunity to study spatial cognition. In accordance with this perspective, we aimed to introduce a spatial test in virtual simulation in order to investigate the survey spatial ability in patients with Topographical Disorientation. To do this, we used the "planning in advance task" in a virtual environment that constitutes an effective procedure to experimentally evaluate survey maps. With this procedure we present the single case of a woman, with a right medial temporal lobe lesion, who shows a selective impairment in the acquisition of new spatial relationships. The patient's performance in "planning in advance task" was compared with that of a control group made up of 40 female subjects matched for age and education. Results show how the patient revealed a significantly lower spatial performance when compared to the control group, demonstrating an inability to solve survey-type spatial tasks in complex virtual environments.
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A virtual reality extended neuropsychological assessment for Topographical Disorientation: a feasibility study
Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2007Co-Authors: Francesca Morganti, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Andrea Gaggioli, Lorenzo Strambi, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Topographical Disorientation represents one of the main consequences of brain injury. Up to now several methodological approaches have been used in the assessment of the brain injured patient's navigational abilities showing a moderate correlation with the impairments observed in everyday contexts. We propose a combination of standardized neuropsychological tests and a more situated virtual reality-based assessment for the evaluation of spatial orientation in brain injured patients. When tested with this virtual reality integrated procedure patients showed performance and execution times congruent with their neuropsychological evaluation. When compared to a control group, patients revealed significantly slower times and greater errors in solving virtual reality based spatial tasks. The use of virtual reality, when combined with classical neuropsychological tests, can provide an effective tool for the study of Topographical Disorientation.
Maria Luisa Rusconi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Long-Term Memory and Topographical Disorientation in Healthy Elderly People: Preliminary Results of a New Diagnostic Tool
2012Co-Authors: Maria Luisa Rusconi, Claudia Zamin, Laura CarelliAbstract:In the physiological aging, a reduction in processing speed, episodic memory and working memory has been established. However, little is known about navigational abilities in elderly people and few ecological tools are available. Recently, some evidences have suggested Topographical Disorientation (TD) as a possible indicator of conversion from amnesic Mild Cognitive Impairment (a-MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our purpose was to create and validate a new ecological instrument in healthy elderly subjects to be used subsequently in MCI and AD patients. Sample: we enrolled 30 healthy volunteer participants, 15 male and 15 female, mean age 68.13 (SD = 8.56). Instruments: we administered a neuropsychological assessment and experimental tasks that consist of bidimensional stimuli and a plastic city with several subtests. Results: we found significant correlations among the experimental test and spatial memory tasks and executive functions. In navigation tasks, no differences were found according to gender while age resulted to play an important role. Younger elderly subjects showed better performances in execution times, learning of different paths and creating and manipulating a mental map. Conclusion: Remembering the correct place of landmarks seems to be -a useful but not a sufficient ability in orientation into surrounding environments: binding together landmarks in a correct framework seems to be the key’s feature of orientation. These interesting results deserve to be experimented also in MCI and early AD patients.
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neuropsychological and virtual reality assessment in Topographical Disorientation
Annual review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine, 2009Co-Authors: Laura Carelli, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Francesca Morganti, Flavia Mattioli, Chiara Stampatori, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Although literature does not provide a unique explanation, the importance of hippocampus for human Topographical learning and orientation is assumed to be relevant by most of the authors. There is considerable evidence that the hippocampus is necessary for acquiring cognitive maps of allocentric space, which includes Topographical knowledge of large-scale real environments. This study aimed to investigate neuropsychological and behavioral characteristics of Topographical Disorientation in a 71 years old patient, affected by an ischemic bilateral occipital lesion involving the hippocampus. Several assessment methods have been involved: neuropsychological test, paper and pencil test for the evaluation of Topographical abilities, and a Virtual Reality tool. Experimental evidences for the value of an integrated evaluation approach in underlying spatial orientation difficulties are provided.
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Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine - Neuropsychological and virtual reality assessment in Topographical Disorientation.
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2009Co-Authors: Laura Carelli, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Francesca Morganti, Flavia Mattioli, Chiara Stampatori, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Although literature does not provide a unique explanation, the importance of hippocampus for human Topographical learning and orientation is assumed to be relevant by most of the authors. There is considerable evidence that the hippocampus is necessary for acquiring cognitive maps of allocentric space, which includes Topographical knowledge of large-scale real environments. This study aimed to investigate neuropsychological and behavioral characteristics of Topographical Disorientation in a 71 years old patient, affected by an ischemic bilateral occipital lesion involving the hippocampus. Several assessment methods have been involved: neuropsychological test, paper and pencil test for the evaluation of Topographical abilities, and a Virtual Reality tool. Experimental evidences for the value of an integrated evaluation approach in underlying spatial orientation difficulties are provided.
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Long-lasting Topographical Disorientation in new environments
Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 2008Co-Authors: Maria Luisa Rusconi, Francesca Morganti, Anna PaladinoAbstract:We describe the case of a young woman with long-lasting Topographical Disorientation following a haemorrhagic lesion of the right temporo-occipital region involving the hippocampus. She was unable to orient herself in novel environments and to perform learning spatial tasks both in real-world settings and laboratory conditions. Her ability to recall and navigate through known routes as well as to recognize familiar landmarks was preserved. Neuropsychological evaluation revealed a mild long-term memory deficit. A similar neuropsychological and experimental pattern was observed 8 years later (at the time of follow-up) when she showed a persistent Topographical Disorientation and a slight worsening of verbal and visuo-spatial long-term memory disorders. Her Topographical Disorientation was characterized by an impairment confined to the anterograde memory domain, a not frequent pattern reported in literature, in the absence of remote Topographical memory disorders. The presence of a lesion localized in the right occipito-temporal region and hippocampus combined with the results observed in some experimental tasks could also contribute to the debate of the role of neural correlates involved in Topographical spatial knowledge.
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The use of virtual environments for survey spatial ability evaluation in Topographical Disorientation.
Behavioural neurology, 2008Co-Authors: Francesca Morganti, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Anna Paladino, Giuliano Geminiani, Antonella CarassaAbstract:Due to their interactivity and to the sense of presence they afford, virtual environments constitute an interesting opportunity to study spatial cognition. In accordance with this perspective, we aimed to introduce a spatial test in virtual simulation in order to investigate the survey spatial ability in patients with Topographical Disorientation. To do this, we used the "planning in advance task" in a virtual environment that constitutes an effective procedure to experimentally evaluate survey maps. With this procedure we present the single case of a woman, with a right medial temporal lobe lesion, who shows a selective impairment in the acquisition of new spatial relationships. The patient's performance in "planning in advance task" was compared with that of a control group made up of 40 female subjects matched for age and education. Results show how the patient revealed a significantly lower spatial performance when compared to the control group, demonstrating an inability to solve survey-type spatial tasks in complex virtual environments.
Giuseppe Riva - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Getting lost in Alzheimer's disease: a break in the mental frame syncing.
Medical hypotheses, 2013Co-Authors: Silvia Serino, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Abstract Despite the clinical significance of Topographical Disorientation in Alzheimer’s disease, it is not clear which cognitive spatial processes are primarily impaired. Here, we argue that a deficit in “mental frame syncing” between egocentric and allocentric spatial representations causes early manifestations of Topographical Disorientation in AD. Specifically, patients show impairment in translating from an allocentric hippocampal representation to an egocentric parietal one for the purpose of effective spatial orientation and navigation. We suggest that a break in “mental frame syncing”, underpinned by damage to the hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex, may be a crucial cognitive marker both for early and differential diagnosis of AD. Identification of these spatial deficits could facilitate the development of early cognitive rehabilitation interventions and the possibility of identifying individuals most at risk for progression to AD during the preclinical stages.
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neuropsychological and virtual reality assessment in Topographical Disorientation
Annual review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine, 2009Co-Authors: Laura Carelli, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Francesca Morganti, Flavia Mattioli, Chiara Stampatori, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Although literature does not provide a unique explanation, the importance of hippocampus for human Topographical learning and orientation is assumed to be relevant by most of the authors. There is considerable evidence that the hippocampus is necessary for acquiring cognitive maps of allocentric space, which includes Topographical knowledge of large-scale real environments. This study aimed to investigate neuropsychological and behavioral characteristics of Topographical Disorientation in a 71 years old patient, affected by an ischemic bilateral occipital lesion involving the hippocampus. Several assessment methods have been involved: neuropsychological test, paper and pencil test for the evaluation of Topographical abilities, and a Virtual Reality tool. Experimental evidences for the value of an integrated evaluation approach in underlying spatial orientation difficulties are provided.
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Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine - Neuropsychological and virtual reality assessment in Topographical Disorientation.
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2009Co-Authors: Laura Carelli, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Francesca Morganti, Flavia Mattioli, Chiara Stampatori, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Although literature does not provide a unique explanation, the importance of hippocampus for human Topographical learning and orientation is assumed to be relevant by most of the authors. There is considerable evidence that the hippocampus is necessary for acquiring cognitive maps of allocentric space, which includes Topographical knowledge of large-scale real environments. This study aimed to investigate neuropsychological and behavioral characteristics of Topographical Disorientation in a 71 years old patient, affected by an ischemic bilateral occipital lesion involving the hippocampus. Several assessment methods have been involved: neuropsychological test, paper and pencil test for the evaluation of Topographical abilities, and a Virtual Reality tool. Experimental evidences for the value of an integrated evaluation approach in underlying spatial orientation difficulties are provided.
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A virtual reality extended neuropsychological assessment for Topographical Disorientation: a feasibility study
Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2007Co-Authors: Francesca Morganti, Maria Luisa Rusconi, Andrea Gaggioli, Lorenzo Strambi, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:Topographical Disorientation represents one of the main consequences of brain injury. Up to now several methodological approaches have been used in the assessment of the brain injured patient's navigational abilities showing a moderate correlation with the impairments observed in everyday contexts. We propose a combination of standardized neuropsychological tests and a more situated virtual reality-based assessment for the evaluation of spatial orientation in brain injured patients. When tested with this virtual reality integrated procedure patients showed performance and execution times congruent with their neuropsychological evaluation. When compared to a control group, patients revealed significantly slower times and greater errors in solving virtual reality based spatial tasks. The use of virtual reality, when combined with classical neuropsychological tests, can provide an effective tool for the study of Topographical Disorientation.
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Applications of virtual reality for the assessment and treatment of Topographical Disorientation: a project
2000Co-Authors: L Bertella, S Marchi, Giuseppe RivaAbstract:The traditional tools afforded by neuropsychology have proved to be of considerable service not only for the description of the clinical course of illnesses, but also for their nosographic and diagnostic contextualization. Virtual reality technology appears to be able to take on a valued role within the variety of diagnostic tools that are necessary for an adequate assessment of impairments of executive function. Development of diagnostic tools based on virtual reality may be cost-effective, particularly with respect to old but still widely used paper-and-pencil tests. The aim of the project presented in this paper is the creation and validation of various VEs to improve the assessment and rehabilitation of Topographical Disorientation, a disease present in various cerebral pathologies.