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Spatial navigation in childhood is linked to age differences in hippocampal subfield volumes

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 7, 3:00 – 5:00 pm, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballrooms

Kanika Agarwal¹, Anika Bhatia¹, Da' Jonae Foster², Zhijian Chen², Noa Ofen^1,2; ¹Center for Vital Longevity, Department of Psychology, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, ²Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University

Accurate representation in navigation relies on the hippocampus. Given spatial navigation improvements across childhood and hippocampal development during that age, we hypothesized a link between hippocampal development and the development of accurate representation of navigated environments. We examined spatial navigation ability and its relation to hippocampal subfield volumes in 33 typically developing 5-7 year-old children (M=6.19 years, SD=0.55; 13 female) who completed a virtual Morris Water Maze task. Children learned the hidden platform’s location across 15 trials and were later tested on the precision by which they recalled the platform location. Hippocampal subfield volumes (subiculum, CA1-2, CA3-DG) were derived using ASHS from high-resolution structural MR images (0.4×0.4 mm2 in-plane resolution). We found an age difference (F(1,30)=8.71, p<.05) in the precision of marking the platform location, with older children being more precise. Age differences were identified in hippocampal subfield volumes such that volumes of CA1-2 (F(1, 32)= 4.97, p=0.03) and CA3-DG (F(1, 32)= 5.05, p=0.03) were larger in the older compared to the younger participants. There was a significant interaction of age and CA3-DG volume such that, in younger children those with larger volumes were more precise (F(1,28)=6.63, p=0.02). A similar pattern was observed for CA1-2 volume (F(1,28)=3.73, p=0.06). Overall, this preliminary evidence suggests that the development of hippocampal subfields supports age-related differences in the representation of navigated environments.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Development &aging