Moving through space boosts older adults’ memory for locations

What is it about?

This study asks how people of different ages remember where things are as they move around. In a virtual-reality task, volunteers saw objects, then either returned to the same spot, walked to a new spot, or “teleported” there. Older adults were most accurate when they walked, because movement helped keep track of locations; errors grew when teleporting removed those movement cues. The findings suggest everyday movement can partly offset age-related declines in map-like spatial memory and may help flag early changes linked to Alzheimer’s.

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Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Immersive-VR evidence that continuous walking offsets older adults’ allocentric memory weakness. Timely insights for VR design, rehabilitation, and possibly early Alzheimer’s screening.