title: Aging and KIBRA/WWC1 genotype affect spatial memory processes in a virtual navigation task.
abstract: Spatial navigation relies on multiple mnemonic mechanisms and previous work in younger adults has described two separate types of spatial memory. One type uses directional as well as boundary-related information for spatial memory and mainly implicates the hippocampal formation. The other type has been linked to directional and landmark-related information and primarily involves the striatum. Using a virtual reality navigation paradigm, we studied the impacts of aging and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP rs17070145) of the KIBRA gene (official name: WWC1) on these memory forms. Our data showed that older adult's spatial learning was preferentially related to processing of landmark information, whereas processing of boundary information played a more prominent role in younger adults. Moreover, among older adults T-allele carriers of the examined KIBRA polymorphism showed better spatial learning compared to C homozygotes. Together these findings provide the first evidence for an effect of the KIBRA rs17070145 polymorphism on spatial memory in humans and age differences in the reliance on landmark and boundary-related spatial information.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Center for Lifespan Psychology, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nicolas W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Schuck
authors.forename: Christian F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Doeller
authors.forename: Brit-Maren M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Schjeide
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Frensch
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bertram
authors.forename: Shu-Chen
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D065854:Spatial Navigation / Q000502:physiology*; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C513637:WWC1 protein, human
keywords: KIBRA; aging; hippocampus; spatial navigation; striatum