Dr J. van Ekert (Janneke) MSc

Children spend a substantial amount of time navigating through the environment. They guide themselves to goal locations and memorise spatial surroundings in order to find their way back. These tasks require complex cognitive processes such as the encoding of spatial locations and the transformation of geometric information to mental images of space. Such processes are crucial to human nature and provide the foundation for an even wider range of cognitive skills (i.e. problem solving, reasoning). Surprisingly little is known about the development of spatial navigation. The aim of this project is to investigate the development of these skills as well as the development of the neural correlates of spatial memory. We will examine healthy children in the age of 8 to 18, using a combination of imaging techniques (i.e. functional MRI) and behavioral methods (i.e. navigational ability and response times).

• Development and lifelong plasticity

• Neural Correlates of Spatial Memory