Tools for Health Clinics and Researchers
Our Suite of hippocampus vs caudate nucleus navigation assessment tasks
Neuronautilus offers a variety of navigation software aimed at measuring navigation strategies and spatial memory in individuals. Using virtual environments constructed in the Unity 3D gaming engine, these tools provide high quality and validated measures for studies, as well as powerful strategy assessment tools for clinics.
These tools are only intended for use by certified health professionals.
Our software is fully automated, easy to use, and can be integrated into any study seamlessly.
1. autoPairs
This task is highly recommended for strategy assessment in older adults. In this task, participants stand on a platform with 12 pathways extending outwards. Different pairs of pathways are presented in which only one contains a target object. Participants are tasked with learning which pathway contains the object in each pair. This task is sensitive the use of hippocampus vs caudate nucleus dependent navigation strategies measured with fMRI activity and grey matter.
2. Adult's auto4on8
This task is highly recommended for strategy assessment in young adults. This task is composed of multiple 2-step trials performed in an 8-arm radial maze. In the first step, participants are guided by barriers to pathways that contain the target objects. In the second step, participants must locate the objects without the help of the barriers. This task is sensitive the use of hippocampus vs caudate nucleus dependent navigation strategies measured with fMRI activity and grey matter.
3. Children's auto4on8
A slight modification of the adult version of the 4on8 task that has been adapted for use with children. Here, children learn which of 4 pathways contain an object. This task is sensitive the use of hippocampus vs caudate nucleus dependent navigation strategies measured with fMRI activity and grey matter. This task is highly recommended for assessments in children.
4. autoWayfinding
Participants are placed in a virtual town. They are asked to explore the environment, learning the locations of different landmarks. The testing phase is composed of successfully navigating to target locations. This task does not measure use of caudate nucleus-dependent strategies. Nevertheless, it is very sensitive to activity and grey matter in the hippocampus.
Current versions of the navigation tasks can be downloaded from virtualnavigationtools.com using the Download button below.
Downloads are password-protected, and the programs require an activation code. If you are interested in using these tasks for clinical purposes or a research project, please complete the form below to request more information or a free quote.