Human Brain Dynamics Accompanying Use of Egocentric and Allocentric Reference Frames during Navigation

Maintaining spatial orientation while travelling requires integrating spatial information encountered from an egocentric viewpoint with accumulated information represented within egocentric and/or allocentric reference frames. Here, we report changes in high-density EEG activity during a virtual tunnel passage task in which subjects respond to a postnavigation homing challenge in distinctly different ways--either compatible with a continued experience of the virtual environment from a solely egocentric perspective or as if also maintaining their original entrance orientation, indicating use of a parallel allocentric reference frame. By spatially filtering the EEG data using independent component analysis, we found that these two equal subject subgroups exhibited differences in EEG power spectral modulation during tunnel passages in only a few cortical areas. During tunnel turns, stronger alpha blocking occurred only in or near right primary visual cortex of subjects whose homing respo...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: JOCN
• Authors: Klaus Gramann, Julie Onton, Davide Riccobon, Hermann J. Müller, Stanislav Bardins, Scott Makeig
• Keywords: Allocentric Reference Frame, Cortical Areas, JOCN 2010, Reference Frame