New research demonstrates that physical movement through space while learning could enhance episodic memory formation, potentially offering insights for developing non-invasive treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Recent findings from researchers at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) suggest that active navigation and body movement in immersive environments may play a crucial role in strengthening episodic memory formation. The study, published in Scientific Reports on 15 October 2024 [1], explores the relationship between spatial navigation and memory consolidation, offering potential implications for both preventive and therapeutic approaches in neurodegenerative conditions.
Understanding episodic memory formation
Episodic memory, our ability to mentally revisit past experiences with vivid detail, begins to deteriorate early in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The UOC research team, led by Álvaro Pastor and Pierre Bourdin-Kreitz, conducted their investigation at Barcelona’s CaixaForum museum, examining how spatial environments and physical movement influence memory organisation and retention.
“The study focuses on how episodic memory works, more specifically on how the spatial environment affects how, and how effectively, memories are organized in our minds,” explained Pastor, a cognitive scientist and researcher at the UOC’s XR-Lab.
Methodology and findings
The research team employed both virtual and augmented reality technologies to compare passive and active navigation experiences. Twenty-eight participants explored two floors of the museum, with some using virtual reality while seated and others physically walking through the space using augmented reality. During their exploration, participants were shown AI-generated facial portraits at specific locations.
The results revealed that participants who physically walked through the environment demonstrated superior memory retention both immediately after the experience and during follow-up testing 48 hours later. Notably, information encountered near the stairs connecting the two floors proved particularly memorable, surpassing recall of information presented near visually striking artwork.
“Actively navigating through an environment enables us to collect enough information for our episodic systems to build a sort of cognitive map of our experience, leading to more effective subsequent recall,” Pastor noted.
Innovative methodological approach
The research team’s use of AI-generated facial portraits represents a methodological advancement in memory research. These artificially created faces ensured that participants encountered entirely novel stimuli with controlled characteristics.
“By creating artificial faces, we were able to provide participants with images they’d never seen before and ensure their features were uniform, including their facial expression and lighting,” Pastor explained, highlighting the importance of such control in studying face recognition within episodic memory formation.
Therapeutic potential
The findings suggest several potential applications in both preventive and therapeutic contexts. For healthy individuals, the research indicates that incorporating active movement during learning experiences could help maintain episodic memory function over time. In clinical settings, the approach offers promising possibilities for rehabilitation programmes.
The researchers suggest that virtual and augmented reality-based interventions could potentially “slow down the progression of the disease in an inexpensive and easily scalable way”. The non-invasive nature of such interventions might also promote better treatment adherence while maintaining patient safety.
Future directions
The research team is currently expanding their investigation to include additional sensory elements, including the controlled introduction of olfactory stimuli alongside virtual visual presentations. This multi-modal approach could further enhance our understanding of memory formation and retention in immersive environments.
The study draws interesting parallels with historical practices, as Bourdin-Kreitz noted: “The idea of walking while learning to increase retention may have been known to mankind since ancient times, at least if we are to believe the story that Aristotle taught his students philosophy while walking through the streets of Athens, and thanks to immersive technologies we can now study this phenomenon in depth.”
Reference:
- Pastor A., & Bourdin-Kreitz, P. (2024). Comparing episodic memory outcomes from walking augmented reality and stationary virtual reality encoding experiences. Scientific Reports, 14, 7580. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57668-w
