Virtual navigation in humans: the impact of age, sex, and hormones on place learning
Virtual navigation in humans: the impact of age, sex, and hormones on place learning
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DOI：
10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.11.013
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发表时间：
2005-03-01
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Sutherland, RJ
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Driscoll, I;Hamilton, DA;Sutherland, RJ
某些认知过程，包括空间能力，会随着正常衰老而下降。空间能力也是一个认知领域，具有明显的性别差异，通常有利于配偶。然而，空间能力测试似乎并不能衡量同类过程的同质性。对于许多人来说，心理匹配旋转三维图像是测量人类空间认知的黄金标准，而莫里斯水任务（MWT）是非人类动物研究领域的首选方法。 MWT 对海马损伤敏感，海马损伤是正常学习和记忆的关键结构，通常与年龄相关的认知能力下降有关。 MWT (VMWT) 的计算机化（虚拟）版本似乎需要并参与人类海马回路，并且已被证明在研究性别差异和测试空间学习理论方面很有用。在实验 1 中，我们对 VMWT 中的参与者（20-90 岁）进行了测试，并将他们的表现与范登堡心理旋转测试中的表现进行了比较。我们报告说，这两项任务的表现都存在与年龄相关的缺陷。在实验 2 中，我们测试了 VMWT 中的年轻（20-39 岁）和老年（>60 岁）参与者，并将他们的表现与睾酮和皮质醇的循环水平相关联。我们的研究结果表明，男性空间优势的持续存在可能与循环睾酮水平有关，但与皮质醇水平无关，并且与普遍的年龄相关认知能力下降无关。 (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. 保留所有权利。
Certain cognitive processes, including spatial ability, decline with normal aging. Spatial ability is also a cognitive domain with robust sex differences typically favoring mates. However, tests of spatial ability do not seem to measure a homogeneous class of processes. For many, mentally matching rotated three-dimensional images is the gold standard for measuring spatial cognition in humans, while the Morris water task (MWT) is a preferred method in the domain of nonhuman animal research. The MWT is sensitive to hippocampal damage, a structure critical for normal learning and memory and often implicated in age-related cognitive decline. A computerized (virtual) version of the MWT (VMWT) appears to require and engage human hippocampal circuitry, and has proven useful in studying sex differences and testing spatial learning theories. In Experiment 1, we tested participants (20-90 years of age) in the VMWT and compared their performance to that on the Vandenberg Mental Rotation Test. We report an age-related deficit in performance on both tasks. In Experiment 2, we tested young (age 20-39) and elderly (age >60) participants in the VMWT and correlated their performance to the circulating levels of testosterone and cortisol. Our findings indicate that the persistence of male spatial advantage may be related to circulating testosterone, but not cortisol levels, and independent of generalized age-related cognitive decline. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.