Always lost? It may be in your genes
Posted on Wednesday, March 03, 2010 2:58 PM PT
By Kavita Varma-White, contributor
When it comes to navigation skills, some of us are homing pigeons. Others
are mice in a maze.
are mice in a maze.
The sharp navigators are those who can figure out which way they need to
go in an unfamiliar setting to get to their destination. No GPS needed to
find their way around town. No always stopping for directions. Some folks,
meanwhile, are hopelessly disoriented — the type that gets lost in a paper
bag.
go in an unfamiliar setting to get to their destination. No GPS needed to
find their way around town. No always stopping for directions. Some folks,
meanwhile, are hopelessly disoriented — the type that gets lost in a paper
bag.
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A new study suggests that skillful navigation just may be in your genes.
Say you are in a city — Washington D.C., for example — and you
emerge from a Metro station to walk to a specific destination. For a
minute you feel discombobulated. But, glancing around, you see the
Capitol building, and a layout of surrounding streets helps you pinpoint
your location. What if the landmark and roads didn't help?
emerge from a Metro station to walk to a specific destination. For a
minute you feel discombobulated. But, glancing around, you see the
Capitol building, and a layout of surrounding streets helps you pinpoint
your location. What if the landmark and roads didn't help?
Previous scientific research suggests that humans, rats, chicks, chimps
and even fish use geometry to reorient themselves in space . They
mentally visualize the geometry of their surroundings — corners and
walls — to figure out where they are. But the new study indicates that
genes may play a part in that ability.
and even fish use geometry to reorient themselves in space . They
mentally visualize the geometry of their surroundings — corners and
walls — to figure out where they are. But the new study indicates that
genes may play a part in that ability.
The new study, conducted by lead author Laura Lakusta, an assistant
professor of psychology at Montclair State University,
Barbara Landau, the Dick and Lydia Todd Professor of Cognitive
Science at the Johns Hopkins University, and Banchiamlack
Dessalegn, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago,
compared the navigation skills of normally developed adults and
children with people who have Williams syndrome.
professor of psychology at Montclair State University,
Barbara Landau, the Dick and Lydia Todd Professor of Cognitive
Science at the Johns Hopkins University, and Banchiamlack
Dessalegn, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago,
compared the navigation skills of normally developed adults and
children with people who have Williams syndrome.
"We found that people who suffer from the genetic disorder Williams
syndrome have trouble reorienting themselves, a basic process that
is shared among human children and adults, and a variety of
syndrome have trouble reorienting themselves, a basic process that
is shared among human children and adults, and a variety of
non-human species," Lakusta said. "Our finding that individuals with
Williams syndrome show this kind of impairment suggests an
important link between genes and the system that is used for
reorientation."
Williams syndrome show this kind of impairment suggests an
important link between genes and the system that is used for
reorientation."
Williams syndrome, a rare condition which occurs in one in 7,500
people, is caused when a small amount of genetic material is missing
from one human chromosome. Individuals with Williams syndrome
have strong language skills and are extremely social, but they have
trouble with tasks like doing puzzles or copying patterns or navigating
their bodies through the physical world.
people, is caused when a small amount of genetic material is missing
from one human chromosome. Individuals with Williams syndrome
have strong language skills and are extremely social, but they have
trouble with tasks like doing puzzles or copying patterns or navigating
their bodies through the physical world.
In the study, Lakusta and her team challenged individuals with
Williams syndrome to find a hidden toy in a rectangular room. The
room had two long walls and two short walls and was covered in black
felt. The Williams syndrome individuals were shown the toy and where
it was hidden in one corner of a room. They were asked to close their
eyes and were rotated for a few seconds. Then they were asked to find
Williams syndrome to find a hidden toy in a rectangular room. The
room had two long walls and two short walls and was covered in black
felt. The Williams syndrome individuals were shown the toy and where
it was hidden in one corner of a room. They were asked to close their
eyes and were rotated for a few seconds. Then they were asked to find
the toy.
When looking for the object, the Williams syndrome individuals — who
were both male and female ranging from age 9 to 27, "searched all the
corners randomly," Lakusta said, as if they had never before seen the
overall geometry of the room or the lengths of the walls and their
geometric relation to each other.
were both male and female ranging from age 9 to 27, "searched all the
corners randomly," Lakusta said, as if they had never before seen the
overall geometry of the room or the lengths of the walls and their
geometric relation to each other.
When testing a group of college students and a group of 3- and 4-year
olds who did not have Williams syndrome, Lakusta and her team found
a more typical pattern of responding.
olds who did not have Williams syndrome, Lakusta and her team found
a more typical pattern of responding.
"If we hid the toy left of the short wall and right of the long wall, they
could mentally construct an image of the room and find it, even if they
became disoriented. They would tend to search the geometrically
appropriate corner. They could figure out that there are two corners
where the toy could be. This is the geometric pattern of responding,"
Lakusta said.
could mentally construct an image of the room and find it, even if they
became disoriented. They would tend to search the geometrically
appropriate corner. They could figure out that there are two corners
where the toy could be. This is the geometric pattern of responding,"
Lakusta said.
"The Williams syndrome subjects could not construct a mental map of
the geometry of the environment," she said.
the geometry of the environment," she said.
The study was recently published in the online Early Edition of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
While other research studies have suggested a link that certain brain
areas might be responsible for the behavior of reorienting, there has
been no evidence that it might be linked to a specific gene, Lakusta
areas might be responsible for the behavior of reorienting, there has
been no evidence that it might be linked to a specific gene, Lakusta
said. "Now we know that, in general, genes can be deleted and we could
see this impairment of orientation."
see this impairment of orientation."
For those who are navigationally-impaired, this kind of research is a small
but important step in understanding why you may have a hard time getting
where you need to be.
but important step in understanding why you may have a hard time getting
where you need to be.
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