The role of vestibular and somatosensory input in spatial navigation

Abstract Background This study aims to assess the influence of vestibular and somatosensory inputs on path integration and spatial navigation abilities. Method The research involved 38 participants aged 18 to 30 (mean age 22.13 ± 1.9), including 21 females and 17 males, who underwent path integration testing in three conditions: participants walk himself/herself (PWH), fixed feet on the chair (FFC), and feet in the air (FIA). Discrepancies between initial and final positions were measured in centimeters across X , Y , and hypotenuse axes, excluding individuals scoring below 21 on cognitive assessments. Results Analyses revealed significant differences in X -axis distances between PWH and FIA, as well as FIA and FFC, and on the hypotenuse axis between FIA and FFC ( p < 0.05), with no significant differences on the Y -axis. Conclusion In three distinct scenarios, the subjects were evaluated with their eyes closed and instructed to rely on vestibular and somatosensory input to return to the initial position. Although visual data is the most important data source for path integration, the vestibular system makes an important contribution to orientation even when somatosensory stimuli are removed. This was evidenced by the feet being closer to the starting point in all cases than when the feet were in contact with the chair.