![]() Current evidence states that mental rotation is a complex ability dependent on the integrity of closely synchronized brain networks, including inferior temporal, ventral, dorsal, prefrontal regions 8, and intraparietal regions 9, 10. Mental rotation proficiency is positively related to route learning 4, 5 and allocentric map processing 6, and it is an important skill for creating a spatial relationship between landmarks and building a cognitive map 7. These strategies are also described as object-mental rotation and subject-mental rotation, respectively 3. The second strategy is perspective transformation, where mental rotations of an individual point of view are performed. The first one is object-based, where stimuli are rotated in relation to the environment. In this regard, a mental rotation transformation starting from the original scene is demanded, which can be achieved by using two different strategies 1, 2. Knowing how an environment looks from different locations is crucial in interpreting external inputs of a scene correctly. When processing spatial relationships, a single viewpoint of a scene is not enough. Future studies could address this with brain imaging measures. We suggest that clockwise bias could be linked with the cognitive decline associated with aging. In conclusion, our study provides evidence that aging is particularly affected by the direction of rotation. In addition, old adults were affected more than young adults by rotation direction, showing better performance in clockwise rotations. Results showed that young adults outperformed old adults in all difficulty conditions (i.e., encoding one or three boxes positions). To do so, 40 young adults and 40 old adults performed the ASMRT, a virtual spatial memory recognition test. ![]() ![]() Thus, our study aimed to check whether the effect of clockwise and anticlockwise rotations in the spatial recognition of complex environments could be modulated by aging. These neural changes underlie difficulties for the elderly in landmark orientation or mental rotation tasks. Hence, the hippocampal system is especially sensitive to aging. Regarding the latter point, it is well known that our spatial skills tend to decline as we grow older. However, there is a lack of a substantial scientific background for complex stimuli and how factors like sex or aging could influence them. Prior studies in the mental rotation field disclosed a clockwise rotation bias on how basic stimuli are perceived and processed. Deciphering the human spatial cognition system involves the development of simple tasks to assess how our brain works with shapes and forms.
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