Journal Article

FZJ-2025-03982

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Route-following deficits in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: Is the dual encoding of route-following strategies impaired?

Bock, O. (First author) ; Huang, J.-Y. ; Wigge, M. ; Bieche, C. ; Kehm, C. ; Richter, N.FZJ* ; Fink, G. R.FZJ* ; Onur, O. A. (Corresponding author)FZJ*

2025
IOS Press Amsterdam

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1177/13872877251378658

Abstract: BackgroundOne of the earliest signs of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and neurodegenerative dementia (ND) is spatial disorientation, e.g., getting lost on previously familiar routes. Healthy individuals often follow routes by combining two strategies, serial recall of directions and cue-direction associations, but the integration of these two strategies may be degraded in amnestic MCI and ND.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether impaired integration of the two strategies (dual encoding) contributes to the route-following deficits in amnestic MCI.MethodsTwenty-five patients with amnestic MCI and 25 age-matched healthy controls (HC) followed routes through virtual mazes that allowed the use of the serial order strategy only (maze S), the associative cue strategy only (maze A), or both strategies (maze SA).ResultsFor longer routes, accuracy in maze SA exceeded that in mazes S and A, confirming the existence of a dual encoding benefit. The magnitude of this benefit was comparable in both groups. In contrast, performance on an additional dual-task test was poorer in MCI than in HC.ConclusionsWe attribute the dissociation between preserved dual encoding and impaired dual-tasking in amnestic MCI not to fundamental differences in the underlying mechanisms, but rather to the different ecological validity of the two experimental paradigms. Our findings suggest that spatial orientation training in amnestic MCI need not target dual encoding.Keywords: cognitive strategies; decision-making; spatial navigation; wayfinding.

Note: post print upload 09.10.25 2025 Nov;108(2):606-615. Epub 2025 Sep 19. This research was funded by the Marga und Walter Boll Foundation (OB: grant number 210-05.01-21; OAO and GRF: grant number 210-08-13).

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Kognitive Neurowissenschaften (INM-3)

Research Program(s):

1. 5251 - Multilevel Brain Organization and Variability (POF4-525) (POF4-525)

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Database coverage:
; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

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