Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40298447›Full record

ArticleCerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)2025

Cognitive traits shape the brain activity associated with mental rotation.

Nadia M Bersier, Eleonora Fornari, Raffaella I Rumiati, Silvio Ionta

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Stimulus-specific influence of gender on mental-rotation-related brain activity.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Nadia M BersierSensoriMotorLab, Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Av. de France 15, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0009-0004-7990-3188
Eleonora FornariDepartment of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne (CHUV-UNIL), CIBM Center for Biomedical Imaging, Rue du Bugnon 11, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Raffaella I RumiatiArea of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy.
Silvio IontaSensoriMotorLab, Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Av. de France 15, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Funding

European Union 2022-1-IT02-KA131-HED-000067727Swiss National Science Foundation PP00P1_202665
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mental rotation is a spatial cognitive ability influenced by several factors, including cognitive traits. However, the relationship between mental rotation performance, cognitive traits, and brain activity is still uncertain. To fill this gap, we recorded functional magnetic resonance imaging data while 55 neurotypical participants performed mental rotation with images of geometric objects, human bodies, and real objects. Cognitive traits were evaluated through the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (visual cognitive style), a perspective-taking task, and the Cognitive Flexibility Scale. Analysis of accuracy and reaction time revealed that (i) mental rotation in spatial-visualizers was more accurate and faster than in object-visualizers, and (ii) visual cognitive style and perspective-taking positively correlated with mental rotation. Brain activity data indicated that (i) individuals with better mental rotation performance had smaller brain activation, particularly in sensorimotor regions, (ii) for the spatial-visual scale and perspective-taking, high scorers had smaller brain activity than low performers, (iii) for the object-visual scale, high scorers had greater brain activity than low scorers. Supporting a neural efficiency hypothesis, the present study highlights the influence of cognitive traits on mental rotation performance and brain efficiency, with spatial-visualizers showing more efficient neural processing. These findings contribute to our understanding of how cognitive styles shape spatial cognition.

Indexed as

BrainCognitionImaginationSpace PerceptionAdultBrain MappingFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleReaction TimeRotationYoung Adultcognitive traitsfMRImental rotationneural efficiency

Identifiers

PMID40298447
PMCPMC12038815

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.