Right-lateralized brain oscillations in human spatial navigation

J Cogn Neurosci. 2010 May;22(5):824-36. doi: 10.1162/jocn.2009.21240.

Abstract

During spatial navigation, lesion and functional imaging studies suggest that the right hemisphere has a unique functional role. However, studies of direct human brain recordings have not reported interhemisphere differences in navigation-related oscillatory activity. We investigated this apparent discrepancy using intracranial electroencephalographic recordings from 24 neurosurgical patients playing a virtual taxi driver game. When patients were virtually moving in the game, brain oscillations at various frequencies increased in amplitude compared with periods of virtual stillness. Using log-linear analysis, we analyzed the region and frequency specificities of this pattern and found that neocortical movement-related gamma oscillations (34-54 Hz) were significantly lateralized to the right hemisphere, especially in posterior neocortex. We also observed a similar right lateralization of gamma oscillations related to searching for objects at unknown virtual locations. Thus, our results indicate that gamma oscillations in the right neocortex play a special role in human spatial navigation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Biological Clocks / physiology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Child
  • Electrodes
  • Electroencephalography / methods
  • Epilepsy / pathology*
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Goals
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Movement / physiology
  • Neocortex / physiopathology*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Orientation
  • Spatial Behavior / physiology*
  • User-Computer Interface
  • Young Adult