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Distinctive roles of left and right entorhinal cortex in path integration via a non-invasive stimulation study

Author

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  • Haiyan Zhao

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, MoE Key Lab of Artificial Intelligence, AI Institute
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Automation and Intelligent Sensing)

  • Binglei Zhao

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Psychology)

  • Jiajun He

    (Johns Hopkins University, Biomedical Engineering Department)

  • Manhua Liu

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, MoE Key Lab of Artificial Intelligence, AI Institute
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Computer Science)

Abstract

The entorhinal cortex (EC) is known to play important roles in spatial cognition of human behaviors. However, the functional contributions and the lateralization of EC are not well known. This paper proposed a new paradigm by employing non-invasive stimulation - Temporal interference (TI) - of human EC in left or right hemisphere under path integration (PI) tasks of sensory-driven and abstract processing. Five metrics were introduced to evaluate PI performance, with results revealing significant improvements after EC stimulation. Moreover, the left EC modulation achieved more enhanced performances of abstract processing, whereas the modulation of the right EC had better improvements in the sensory-driven condition. The results indicated that functional roles may differ in left and right EC under PI tasks. This study provided valuable insights into hemispheric specialization within EC and suggested potential pathways for developing early intervention strategies through the non-invasive modulation of EC.

Suggested Citation

  • Haiyan Zhao & Binglei Zhao & Jiajun He & Manhua Liu, 2025. "Distinctive roles of left and right entorhinal cortex in path integration via a non-invasive stimulation study," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-64986-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64986-8
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