Virtual reality for testing path integration deficits

Details

Supervisors

Lefèvre, Philippe

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil biomédical, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Path integration is a spatial navigation ability that requires the integration of information derived from self-motion cues and stables landmarks, when available, to return to a previous visited location. This ability can deteriorate with age or due to neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, leading to significant navigation challenges. Therefore, evaluating path integration deficits is crucial. Traditional methods for assessing them often rely solely on visual tasks conducted via a computer, which may not fully engage other sensory systems such as proprioception and the vestibular system. To overcome these limitations, we developed a task to be performed using a virtual reality (VR) headset to enhance realism and sensory feedback in the experimental environment. This task is mirroring another one initially performed on a computer-based setup. Using both tasks (on the PC and in VR), this master thesis addresses the evaluation of path integration abilities across two different age groups, 17-24 and 74-79 years old. The main objective is to determine if the virtual reality offers a enhanced method for evaluating path integration deficits. Additionally, other analysis on the age-related effects and the effects of a landmark are provided. Our results demonstrates that VR provides a more robust assessment of path integration skills, significantly reducing performance limitations observed in the computer-based setup. Using the virtual reality revealed that senior participants were as proficient as younger participants in estimating distances. However, they make larger rotation errors, suggesting that their path integration deficits are primarily due to a deterioration of the vestibular system. The findings also highlight that the use of the landmark decreases with age, and that the age-related effects are reduced in VR, indicating that the larger age-related effects generally highlighted using a computer are, in reality, less important.