Spatial, not temporal cues drive predictive orienting movements during navigation: a virtual reality study

A fundamental property of the human brain is the ability to make predictions of future sensory and motor events. We have recently found that steering manoeuvres when walking along curvilinear trajectories are controlled by an anticipatory guidance of the direction of head (and eyes). However it is unclear whether a time-related or space-related signal triggers such anticipatory head orienting movements. By simulating navigation along a multi-legged virtual corridor we show that anticipatory orienting movements are triggered (in standing subjects) by reaching specific locations rather than by the time to the approaching corridorʼs bend. Similar to what happens in car driving, specific spatial features of the route rather than time to collision seem to drive steering.