Objective
Spatial memory and orientation ? knowing what is where and how to get there ? are vitally important for our daily life. Without it we would continuously be searching for our keys and glasses, and we would not be able to find our way back home or navigate t hrough our surroundings. It has been estimated that spatial memory and orientation are among the prime functions affected by normal and pathological aging such as in the case of Alzheimer disease. Partly, this is not surprising because these functions are relatively complex, requiring planning, mental manipulation and synthesis, and decision making. Interestingly, the ability to construct spatial representations of the outside world and to store them in memory has been argued to have formed the driving forc e behind the evolution of all higher cognitive functions in men. While several species of birds, mammals and nonhuman primates appear to posses clear spatial abilities, these never reach the variety and complexity of the human system. This STREP proposal a ims for an ambitious, exhaustive examination of the cognitive organization of spatial memory and orientation; of how this important ability is implemented in the human brain and how this contrasts to similar abilities in other species; of delineating which spatial functions are uniquely human and why they are so. These higher order spatial functions include perspective taking, verbally communicating spatial information, and planning one?s way through complex environments. Today?s modern society places enorm ous loads upon our ability to navigate through the world. Understanding how the human navigational and updating system works has direct practical, social gains. We specifically will try to map the individual differences in spatial ability (e.g. gender, age and cultural) and the needs and preferences different individuals have in dealing with the spatial structure of their environments (women/ men, blind, elderly and brain damaged individuals).
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy primatology
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology cognitive neuroscience
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology dementia alzheimer
- engineering and technology materials engineering
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP6-2003-NEST-PATH
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
UTRECHT
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.