Abstract: Path integration refers to an individual's spatial ability to integrate sensory cues during movement to determine their position continuously. Against the backdrop of an aging population, path integration, as an important component of spatial navigation, has become a research hotspot, with the focus on whether behavioral differences and neural mechanisms can predict early-stage neurodegenerative diseases. Studies based on virtual reality environment tasks have found that behavioral indicators of path integration impairment and neuroimaging characteristics have the potential to serve as early biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. Path integration relies on brain regions such as the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus, as well as the neuroendocrine system. In both normal and pathological aging processes, functional deterioration of these key nodes forms the basis for the decline in path integration ability. This study aims to deeply understand the role of path integration in predicting early-stage neurodegenerative diseases, thereby providing a solid theoretical foundation for developing aging assessment and diagnostic systems and targeted interventions based on path integration.

Key words: path integration, spatial navigation, aging, Alzheimer's disease, neural mechanisms