The effect of brain training video games on improving visuospatial working memory and executive function in children with dyscalculia.

The aim was to investigate the effect of brain training video games on improving visuospatial working memory and executive function in children with dyscalculia. This study employed a quasi-experimental, within-subjects design. Pre- post- and follow up test scores on visuospatial working memory and executive function were used. Sixty children from a primary education public school in Taif were selected. This study employed simple random method for selecting participants. Children assigned to the experimental group completed 18, 30 ms training sessions at the technology room in the presence of the researcher over a period of six weeks. The analyses were conducted using SPSS by performing a repeated-measures analysis of variance with a between-group factor and a with-group factor (pretest and posttest). Scheffé's post hoc test was also applied. The training helped the intervention group gain better scores in visuospatial working memory and executive function in post test compared to control one. There were significant differences in visuospatial working memory and executive function across different measurements(pre-post-and follow up).

The Impact of Stimulant Medication on the Relation Between Working Memory and Activity Level in ADHD.

There is a positive association between heightened activity levels and improved working memory performance (WM) in individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Recent research suggests that stimulant medications may have a simultaneous positive impact on WM and motor skills. Yet, it is unclear the specific connection between movement, WM, and stimulant use. We examined how visuospatial (VS) and phonological (PH) WM performance varied with children's stimulant medication usage and naturally occurring activity level. In a repeated measures design, children with ADHD (n = 43; 7-12 years old) completed WM tasks while wearing actigraphy watches to monitor activity level on and off stimulant medication. Significant large sized main effects were observed for medication condition on PH (p < .05, ηp2 = .14) and VS (p < .001, ηp2 = .30) WM. Activity level also had significant medium sized main effects on PH (p < .01, ηp2 = .09) and VS (p < .005, ηp2 = .10) WM. There was a significant medium sized interaction for VS WM (p < .005, ηp2 = .11), indicating that the effect of medication on performance was greatest in the highest activity level category. The findings suggest that a combination of stimulant medication and an "optimal" level of movement may be most effective for improving VS WM.

Comparison of adaptation characteristics between visually and memory-guided saccades.

Saccade adaptation plays a crucial role in maintaining saccade accuracy. The behavioral characteristics and neural mechanisms of saccade adaptation for an externally cued movement, such as visually guided saccades (VGS), are well studied in nonhuman primates. In contrast, little is known about the saccade adaptation of an internally driven movement, such as memory-guided saccades (MGS), which are guided by visuospatial working memory. As the oculomotor plant changes because of growth, aging, or skeletomuscular problems, both types of saccades need to be adapted. Do both saccade types engage a common adaptation mechanism? In this study, we compared the characteristics of amplitude decrease adaptation in MGS with VGS in nonhuman primates. We found that the adaptation speed was faster for MGS than for VGS. Saccade duration changed during MGS adaptation, whereas saccade peak velocity changed during VGS adaptation. We also compared the adaptation field, that is, the gain change for saccade amplitudes other than the adapted. The gain change for MGS declines on both smaller and larger sides of adapted amplitude, more rapidly for larger than smaller amplitudes, whereas the decline in VGS was reversed. Thus, the differences between VGS and MGS adaptation characteristics support the previously suggested hypothesis that the adaptation mechanisms of VGS and MGS are distinct. Furthermore, the result suggests that the MGS adaptation site is a brain structure that influences saccade duration, whereas the VGS adaptation site influences saccade peak velocity. These results should be beneficial for future neurophysiological experiments.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Plasticity helps to overcome persistent motor errors. Such motor plasticity or adaptation can be investigated with saccades. Thus far our knowledge is primarily about visually guided saccades, an externally cued movement, which we can make only when the object is visible at the time of saccade. However, as the world is complex, we can make saccades even when the object is not visible. Here, we investigate the adaptation of an internally driven movement: the memory-guided saccade.

Visuospatial perspective-taking of a protagonist during narrative comprehension: the effects of task load and individual differences in visuospatial working memory.

Introduction: This study examined whether visuospatial perspective uses the character perspective during narrative comprehension. Method: Participants read narrative stimuli depicting the spatial positional relationships between characters and objects and judged whether the objects were on the left or right from the character's perspective. We manipulated whether the spatial positional relationships between characters depicted in the narrative stimuli resulted in a visuospatial perspective. We hypothesized that the high-load perspective-taking condition would indicate longer reaction times compared to the low-load perspective-taking condition, as shifting perspectives between characters in the high-load condition require more time for visuospatial perspective-taking. Results: As predicted, the reaction time was longer for high-load perspective-taking than for low-load perspective-taking. Discussion: During narrative comprehension, the reaction time for visuospatial perspective-taking must move virtually within the representation from the main character's perspective to that of another character. Visuospatial perspective-taking is involved in narrative comprehension.

Development of a real-world simulated instrument for evaluating visuospatial working memory: a preliminary psychometric study on older adults.

BACKGROUND: A prevalent challenge in neuropsychological assessment, particularly when utilizing instruments designed for controlled laboratory environments, is that the outcomes may not correspond to an individual's real-life status. Accordingly, assessments of visuospatial working memory (VSWM) conducted in such settings might fail to capture certain facets of this function, as it operates in real life. On the other hand, entirely ecological assessments may risk compromising internal validity. This study aimed to develop an intermediate mode of assessment that measures VSWM in older adults by employing a setting, a task, and a response format that aligns closely with both laboratory and ecological assessments. Furthermore, a preliminary investigation was carried out to study the variations in spatial cognition among different demographic groups. METHODS: In a two-session study, 77 healthy older adults, eight patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and seven patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were recruited to complete the wayfinding questionnaire (WQ), the Corsi block-tapping task (CBTT), and the Spatial Memory Table (SMT). The SMT is a novel instrument developed specifically for this study, aiming to provide a more accurate measure of VSWM performance in older adults' everyday life. Test-retest and split-half reliabilities, as well as the face, content, concurrent, convergent, and known-groups validities, were analyzed to investigate the psychometric properties of the SMT. RESULTS: The analyses were mainly centered on studying the psychometric properties of the SMT. Test-retest reliability (r = .753, p < .001) and split-half reliability (ρSC = 0.747) were found to be acceptable. Concurrent validity using CBTT (r = .264, p = .021), convergent validity using WQ subscales (navigation and orientation: r = .282, p = .014; distance estimation: r = .261, p = .024), and known-groups validity using the SMT scores among people with MCI and AD (χ2 = 35.194, df = 2, p < .001) were also indicative of the instrument's good validity. Data analysis also revealed acceptable levels of face validity (U = 4.50; p = .095) and content validity (CVR ≥ 0.60). As a result of comparing VSWM and wayfinding variables across genders and education levels, a significant difference was observed for navigation and orientation and spatial anxiety between women and men (p < .05). None of the variables were different among education levels. CONCLUSION: The SMT was found to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring VSWM performance in older adults. Given these findings, the SMT can be regarded as a measure that sufficiently approximates both laboratory and real-life demands for VSWM. Additionally, the instrument demonstrated a preliminary acceptable capacity to differentiate between healthy individuals and those with MCI and AD.

Graph Theory Further Revealed Visual Spatial Working Memory Impairment in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients may experience cognitive impairments in Visuospatial Working Memory (VSWM), significantly impacting their quality of life. However, the mechanisms underlying these impairments remain poorly understood. Methods: We studied functional MRI and graph theory analysis to investigate changes in functional connectivity networks during the Mental Rotation Task (MRT) in IBD patients. Twenty IBD patients (13 males, 7 females; mean age = 34.95 ± 13.80 years; mean disease duration = 2.43 ± 2.37 years) participated in the study. Exclusion criteria encompassed recent use of analgesics, 5-Aminosalicylate, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressants within the past three months. Additionally, we recruited 20 age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls for comparison. Results: Compared to a control group, IBD patients exhibited significantly longer reaction times and reduced accuracy during the MRT. Our analysis revealed abnormalities in multiple nodal attributes within the functional connectivity network, particularly in regions such as the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, right supplementary motor area, bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, and bilateral anterior temporal lobe. We observed that the nodal efficiency in the left temporal pole is negatively correlated with Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW) and positively correlated with response time of MRT. Conclusion: Our findings revealed notable abnormalities in multiple node attributes among IBD patients during MRT, providing evidence of cognitive impairments in VSWM in IBD patients. This study found RDW maybe can serve as a clinical indicator for predicting early VSWM impairment in patients with IBD.

How workload and availability of spatial reference shape eye movement coupling in visuospatial working memory.

Eyes are active in memory recall and visual imagination, yet our grasp of the underlying qualities and factors of these internally coupled eye movements is limited. To explore this, we studied 50 participants, examining how workload, spatial reference availability, and imagined movement direction influence internal coupling of eye movements. We designed a visuospatial working memory task in which participants mentally moved a black patch along a path within a matrix and each trial involved one step along this path (presented via speakers: up, down, left, or right). We varied workload by adjusting matrix size (3 × 3 vs. 5 × 5), manipulated availability of a spatial frame of reference by presenting either a blank screen (requiring participants to rely solely on their mental representation of the matrix) or spatial reference in the form of an empty matrix, and contrasted active task performance to two control conditions involving only active or passive listening. Our findings show that eye movements consistently matched the imagined movement of the patch in the matrix, not driven solely by auditory or semantic cues. While workload influenced pupil diameter, perceived demand, and performance, it had no observable impact on internal coupling. The availability of spatial reference enhanced coupling of eye movements, leading more frequent, precise, and resilient saccades against noise and bias. The absence of workload effects on coupled saccades in our study, in combination with the relatively high degree of coupling observed even in the invisible matrix condition, indicates that eye movements align with shifts in attention across both visually and internally represented information. This suggests that coupled eye movements are not merely strategic efforts to reduce workload, but rather a natural response to where attention is directed.

Visuospatial working memory in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia: a comparative analysis with Alzheimer's disease using the box task.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the visuospatial working memory profiles of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using a novel computerised test of visuospatial working memory: the Box Task. METHODS: Twenty-eight bvFTD and 28 AD patients, as well as 32 age-matched control participants were recruited. All participants completed the Box Task and conventional neuropsychological tests of working memory, episodic memory, and visuospatial function. RESULTS: Both the bvFTD and AD groups exhibited significantly more Box Task between-search errors than the control group across all set sizes. Notably, the AD group demonstrated a significantly higher error rate compared to the bvFTD group. Regression analysis revealed that whilst episodic memory impairment significantly predicted Box Task error performance in AD, this was not the case for bvFTD. Additionally, a noticeable trend was observed for attention in predicting Box Task errors in both bvFTD and AD groups. The Box Task demonstrated high utility in differentiating between bvFTD and AD, with a decision tree correctly classifying 82.1% of bvFTD patients and 75% of AD patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal significant visuospatial working memory impairments in bvFTD, albeit of lesser severity compared to disease-matched AD patients. The Box Task, a novel measure of visuospatial working memory, proved effective in differentiating between bvFTD and AD, outperforming many traditional neuropsychological measures. Overall, our findings highlight the utility of assessing visuospatial memory when differentiating between bvFTD and AD in the clinical setting.

Individual differences in representational gesture production are associated with cognitive and empathy skills.

Substantial individual variation exists in the frequency of gestures produced while speaking. This study investigated the associations between cognitive abilities, empathy levels, and personality traits with the frequency of representational gestures. A cartoon narration task and a social dilemma solving task were used to elicit gestures. Predictor variables were selected based on prior research on individual differences in gesture production and the cognitive and communicative functions of gestures in speech. Our findings revealed that an increased frequency of representational gestures was associated with higher empathy levels in the cartoon narration task. However, in the social dilemma solving task, a higher frequency of representational gestures was associated with lower visuospatial working memory, spatial transformation, and inhibition control abilities. Moreover, no significant relationships were found between verbal working memory, personality traits, and the frequency of representational gestures in either task. These findings suggested that predictor variables for representational gesture production vary depending on the nature of the gesture elicitation task (e.g., spatiomotoric vs. abstract topics). Future research should examine the relationship between individuals' cognitive abilities, empathy and gesture production with across a broader range of topics and in more ecologically valid contexts.

Preferential Impairment of Auditory Working Memory in Long COVID: An Observational Study of Undergraduate Medical Students.

Background Long COVID is a multisystem condition with prolonged symptoms that develop after recovery from the COVID-19 infection, often following a mild infection. Few studies have been conducted on cognitive function among medical students after recovery from mild COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the attention span and working memory (WM) capacity of medical students after six months of recovery. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed on 17 young adult medical students who had suffered a mild COVID-19 infection at least six months prior. Eighteen age-matched healthy medical students served as the controls. Audio-visual WM tasks and attention spans were assessed using computerized software for both the cases and controls. Results The mean ages of the case and control were 19.67±1.6 and 20.0±1.2 years, respectively. The most common symptoms among cases were fatigue (33%), weight loss (26%), and nasal stuffiness (13%). The overall proportion of correct responses across all visual and auditory WM tasks (p=0.085) and reaction times (p=0.609) did not differ between the cases and controls. However, the overall target hit rate of the auditory WM task was significantly lower in cases than in controls (p=0.002). This difference was not observed in the visual WM task (p=0.374). Conclusion In the current study, the overall WM functions (visual and auditory combined) and attention span did not differ between cases and controls. However, auditory WM performance was significantly impaired in patients compared with controls, indicating selective impairment of auditory WM in patients with long COVID.

Experiential traces first: Does holding a location in visuospatial working memory affect the processing of space-associated words?

This study aimed to systematically examine whether actively maintaining a visual location in working memory can influence the processing of spatially related words. In five experiments, we asked participants to maintain either the location or the shape of a visually presented stimulus in working memory so that it could later be compared with a test stimulus concerning the relevant target features. In between, we presented participants with words that refer to objects typically encountered in the upper or lower vertical space (roof vs. root, respectively). The task participants performed as a response to these words differed between experiments. In Experiments 1-3, participants performed a lexical decision task, in Experiment 4 they performed a semantic task (deciding whether the word refers to an occupation), and in Experiment 5 they performed a spatial task (deciding whether the word refers to something in the upper or lower visual field.) Only in Experiment 5 did we observe an interaction between the position of the visual stimulus held in working memory (up vs. down) and the meaning of the spatial words (associated with up vs. down). Our results therefore suggest that actively maintaining a stimulus location in working memory does not automatically affect the processing of spatially related words, but does so if the relevant spatial dimension is made highly salient by the task. The results are thus in line with studies showing a strong context-dependency of embodiment effects and thus allow the conclusion that language processing proper is not operating on a sensorimotor representational format.

Precision in spatial working memory examined with mouse pointing.

The capacity of visuospatial working memory (VSWM) is limited. However, there is continued debate surrounding the nature of this capacity limitation. The resource model (Bays et al., 2009) proposes that VSWM capacity is limited by the precision with which visuospatial features can be retained. In one of the few studies of spatial working memory, Schneegans and Bays (2016) report that memory guided pointing responses show a monotonic decrease in precision as set size increases, consistent with resource models. Here we report two conceptual replications of this study that use mouse responses rather than pointing responses. Overall results are consistent with the resource model, as there was an exponential increase in localisation error and monotonic increases in the probability of misbinding and guessing with increases in set size. However, an unexpected result of Experiment One was that, unlike Schneegans and Bays (2016), imprecision did not increase between set sizes of 2 and 8. Experiment Two replicated this effect and ruled out the possibility that the invariance of imprecision at set sizes greater than 2 was a product of oculomotor strategies during recall. We speculate that differences in imprecision are related to additional visuomotor transformations required for memory-guided mouse localisation compared to memory-guided manual pointing localisation. These data demonstrate the importance of considering the nature of the response modality when interpreting VSWM data.

Relación entre la edad, la memoria de trabajo y la capacidad de reserva cognitiva en adultos mayores de 40 años / Relationship between age, working memory and cognitive reserve capacity

Resumen Objetivo. En este trabajo, se pretende conocer la relación entre la edad, la memoria de trabajo verbal y visoespacial, y la reserva cognitiva en adultos mayores de 40 años. Método. Se trabajó con una muestra conformada por 50 personas de 40 años en adelante, de ambos sexos y sin patologías asociadas. Para la recolección de datos, se administraron las subpruebas de INECO frontal screening, que corresponden al índice de memoria de trabajo (IMT), y el Cuestionario de Reserva Cognitiva (CRC). Resultados. En esta muestra, se pudo determinar que, mientras mayor capacidad de reserva cognitiva posea una persona, mayor será su capacidad de memoria de trabajo, en especial, de tipo visoespacial.

Abstract Objective. In this work, it was intended to show the relationship between age, verbal and visuospatial working memory, and cognitive reserve in people over 40 years old. Method. The sample was composed of 50 people from 40 years old onwards, of both genders and without associated pathologies. For data collection, the INECO frontal screening subtests and the Cognitive Reserve Questionnaire (CRC) were administered. Results. In this sample, it was possible to determine that the greater the cognitive reserve capacity a person has, the greater their working memory capacity will be, specially the visuospatial type.

Task Switching: On the Relation of Cognitive Flexibility with Cognitive Capacity.

The task-switching paradigm is deemed a measure of cognitive flexibility. Previous research has demonstrated that individual differences in task-switch costs are moderately inversely related to cognitive ability. However, current theories emphasize multiple component processes of task switching, such as task-set preparation and task-set inertia. The relations of task-switching processes with cognitive ability were investigated in the current study. Participants completed a task-switching paradigm with geometric forms and a visuospatial working memory capacity (WMC) task. The task-switch effect was decomposed with the diffusion model. Effects of task-switching and response congruency were estimated as latent differences using structural equation modeling. Their magnitudes and relations with visuospatial WMC were investigated. Effects in the means of parameter estimates replicated previous findings, namely increased non-decision time in task-switch trials. Further, task switches and response incongruency had independent effects on drift rates, reflecting their differential effects on task readiness. Findings obtained with the figural tasks employed in this study revealed that WMC was inversely related to the task-switch effect in non-decision time. Relations with drift rates were inconsistent. Finally, WMC was moderately inversely related to response caution. These findings suggest that more able participants either needed less time for task-set preparation or that they invested less time for task-set preparation.

Effects of physical activity on visuospatial working memory in healthy individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Physical activity interventions improve cognitive performance, especially visuospatial working memory (VSWM). However, evidence on the effects of these interventions in children, adolescents, and older adults remains scant. This meta-analysis aimed to identify the effects of physical activity on VSWM improvement in healthy individuals and the best exercise intervention program to improve VSWM capacity. Methods: We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of exercise interventions targeting VSWM in healthy individuals from Web of Science, MEDLINE, BIOSIS Previews, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data (Chinese) databases, from inception to August 20, 2022. Results: Among 21 articles (1,595 healthy participants), the heterogeneity test statistic was I2 = 32.3%, p = 0.053. The mean quality scores of the included articles were 6.9 points (reaction time [RT] studies) and 7.5 points (Score studies). Moreover, 28 RCTs were included (10 RT studies and 18 Score studies), and the subgroup analysis found significant effects for elderly participants, children, interventions involving a higher level of cognitive engagement, low and moderate exercise intensity, chronic exercise, exercise duration ≥60 min, and exercise period ≥90 days. Physical activity had a small but significant positive impact on VSWM in healthy individuals. Current evidence confirms the effects of physical activity on VSWM capacity only in children and seniors but not in young adults. Other age groups, including adolescents and middle-aged adults, have not been studied. Prescription of interventions involving high-level cognitive engagement, low and moderate exercise intensity, chronic exercise, exercise for >30 min per session, and exercise for more than 3 months is recommended for children and seniors. Discussion: Future RCTs would be to fill the gap in studies on adolescents and middle-aged adults, and report detailed exercise intervention programs about different age groups.Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022354737). INPLASY (https://doi.org/10.37766/inplasy2022.8.0053).

The influence of sex on the relations among spatial ability, math anxiety and math performance.

BACKGROUND: A large body of research has found stronger math anxiety in females and suggests that inferior spatial abilities (or attributes towards spatial abilities) in females compared to males are the origin of sex differences in math anxiety. PURPOSE: To fully explore the complex relationship among math anxiety, spatial abilities, math performance and sex differences, the current study examined spatial skills, working memory skills, math anxiety, and self-efficacy as predictors of math performance. BASIC PROCEDURES: Participating in the study were 89 undergraduate Israeli students (44 males and 45 females). MAIN FINDINGS: The result showed sex differences in a few domains: math anxiety was higher in females compared to males, males outperformed females in number line performance and spatial skills. The relationships among spatial abilities, math performance, and math anxiety were stronger in males than in females. By contrast, the relationship between math self-efficacy and performance was stronger in females compared to males. CONCLUSIONS: This finding demonstrated fundamental differences between the sexes, even with similar performances in curriculum-based assessments.

Emotional Threat Perception and Its Association with Neurocognition in Social Anxiety Disorder.

Background: The negative appraisal of emotional stimuli is a feature of social anxiety disorder (SAD). People with SAD demonstrate deficits in neurocognitive performance while performing tasks of attention. However, the relationship between attentional control, working memory, and threat perception in SAD has not been studied well. The present study aimed to identify patterns of threat perception in relation to performance on attention and visuospatial working memory tasks in individuals with SAD. Methods: Subjects with SAD (n = 27) and a healthy comparative (HC) group (n = 26) completed tasks of sustained and focused attention, visuospatial working memory, computerized emotion identification, and pictorial emotional Stroop. Results: The SAD group had decreased performance in the domains of sustained (P = 0.001) and focused attention (P = 0.04). They also had an enhanced threat perception as demonstrated by greater reaction time to anger (P = 0.03), lower emotion recognition accuracy (P = 0.05), and higher over-identification of the threat to neutral and nonthreatening faces. However, the Stroop effect was not demonstrated across the groups. No group difference was seen in the performance on the visuospatial working memory tasks. Lower focused attention was significantly correlated with higher emotional threat perception (ETP; P = 0.001) in the SAD group. Conclusion: People with SAD have greater deficits in attention processing and ETP. The attention deficits were associated with enhanced ETP in social anxiety. The link between threat perception and cognitive functions would aid in a better understanding of SAD and in planning appropriate intervention.

Efficacy of Corsi Block Tapping Task training for improving visuospatial skills: a non-randomized two-group study.

Even though impaired visuospatial abilities can negatively affect daily functioning, there are very few training programs that attempt to improve visuospatial abilities. The purpose of this study was to examine if a single training session with a computerized version of the Corsi Block Tapping Task could improve mental rotation skills. Fifty-three young adults were assigned to one of two groups: (1) control group (mean age = 21.4; 10 females), who had 20 min of rest after their baseline assessment, or (2) training group (mean age = 21.5; 17 females), who had 20 min of training on the Corsi Block Tapping Task after their baseline assessment. The primary outcome was reaction time on a computer-based mental rotation task, and it was assessed both before and after the rest or training. There was a significant interaction between time (pre vs. post) and group (control vs. training) on mental rotation performance (p = 0.04), with the training group performing on average 124 ms faster on accurate trials than the control group at post-test. This preliminary study suggested that improving mental rotation may be feasible through targeted cognitive training. Future studies will consider multiple sessions of Corsi Block Tapping Task training to maximize training benefits (i.e., dose-response), as well as longer term retention in cognitively intact and impaired individuals.

Comparative Analysis of the Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairments in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Community-Based Research.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two common chemotherapy regimens on breast cancer (BC) survivors' cognition. The participants comprised 35 patients with BC who underwent two chemotherapy regimens, AC-T and TAC, and 24 matched healthy volunteers. The participants were assessed regarding cognitive function through Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination and Cambridge Brain Science tests. The results represent the AC-T regimen to be more toxic than the TAC in domains of language, concentration, and visuospatial working memory (P-value = 0.036, 0.008, and 0.031, respectively) and should be prescribed with caution in patients with BC suffering from baseline cognitive impairments.

Age and sex impact on visuospatial working memory (VSWM), mental rotation, and cognitive strategies during navigation.

This study assessed the impact of sex and typical aging on visuospatial working memory (VSWM), mental rotations, and navigational strategies using behavioral information. Fifty healthy participants regrouped in older (OA) and young adults (YA) performed the Walking Corsi test (WalCT) and the Redrawn Mental Rotation Test (MRT) to explore mental rotation abilities. We recorded kinematic data such as locomotion trajectories, and spatial orientations during navigation. We created a new method of data analysis for the WalCT performances and compared it with the classical approach. This original method allowed us to identify cognitive strategies based on errors analysis. Our data suggested that VSWM and mental rotation capacities in locomotion were modulated by age (YA scored higher than OA), and sex (Young Adult Males (YA-M) having higher performance than Young Adult Females (YA-F). We observed a preferential use of cognitive strategies related to sex; YA-F relied more on egocentric strategies whereas YA-M relied more on allocentric strategies. The preferential use of cognitive strategies in the YA group was not observed in the OA group producing more random errors per sequence. The results suggest the effects that age and sex have on VSWM, cognitive strategies, and mental rotation during navigation and highlight the importance of navigational strategies training.