title: Structural and functional neural correlates of spatial navigation: a combined voxel-based morphometry and functional connectivity study.
abstract: Navigation is a fundamental and multidimensional cognitive function that individuals rely on to move around the environment. In this study, we investigated the neural basis of human spatial navigation ability.
  
  
  
  A large cohort of participants (N> 200) was examined on their navigation ability behaviorally and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were then used to explore the corresponding neural basis of spatial navigation.
  
  
  
  The gray matter volume (GMV) of the bilateral parahippocampus (PHG), retrosplenial complex (RSC), entorhinal cortex (EC), hippocampus (HPC), and thalamus (THAL) was correlated with the participants' self-reported navigational ability in general, and their sense of direction in particular. Further fMRI studies showed that the PHG, RSC, and EC selectively responded to visually presented scenes, whereas the HPC and THAL showed no selectivity, suggesting a functional division of labor among these regions in spatial navigation. The resting-state functional connectivity analysis further revealed a hierarchical neural network for navigation constituted by these regions, which can be further categorized into three relatively independent components (i.e., scene recognition component, cognitive map component, and the component of heading direction for locomotion, respectively).
  
  
  
  Our study combined multi-modality imaging data to illustrate that multiple brain regions may work collaboratively to extract, integrate, store, and orientate spatial information to guide navigation behaviors.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research Beijing Normal University Beijing China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology Tsinghua University Beijing China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology Renmin University of China Beijing China.
authors.forename: Xueting
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research Beijing Normal University Beijing China.
authors.forename: Yiying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research Beijing Normal University Beijing China.
authors.forename: Xiangzhen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research Beijing Normal University Beijing China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research Beijing Normal University Beijing China.
authors.forename: Zetian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research Beijing Normal University Beijing China.
authors.forename: Zonglei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology School of Psychology Beijing Normal University Beijing China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018728:Entorhinal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D065854:Spatial Navigation / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cognitive map; heading direction; hierarchical brain network; scene perception; spatial navigation; voxel‐based morphometry