Age-Related Changes in Spatial Navigation Are Evident by Midlife and Differ by Sex.

ABSTRACT: Accumulating evidence suggests that distinct aspects of successful navigation-path integration, spatial-knowledge acquisition, and navigation strategies-change with advanced age. Yet few studies have established whether navigation deficits emerge early in the aging process (prior to age 65) or whether early age-related deficits vary by sex. Here, we probed healthy young adults (ages 18-28) and midlife adults (ages 43-61) on three essential aspects of navigation. We found, first, that path-integration ability shows negligible effects of sex or age. Second, robust sex differences in spatial-knowledge acquisition are observed not only in young adulthood but also, although with diminished effect, at midlife. Third, by midlife, men and women show decreased ability to acquire spatial knowledge a

SUBMITTER: Yu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8258309 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature