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Zaman A, Setton R, Catmur C, Russell C. What is autonoetic consciousness? Examining what underlies subjective experience in memory and future thinking. Cognition 2024; 253:105934. [PMID: 39216189 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Autonoetic consciousness is the awareness that an event we remember is one that we ourselves experienced. It is a defining feature of our subjective experience of remembering and imagining future events. Given its subjective nature, there is ongoing debate about how to measure it. Our goal was to develop a framework to identify cognitive markers of autonoetic consciousness. Across two studies (N = 342) we asked young, healthy participants to provide written descriptions of two autobiographical memories, two plausible future events, and an experimentally encoded video. Participants then rated their subjective experience during remembering and imagining. Exploratory Factor Analysis of this data uncovered the latent variables underlying autonoetic consciousness across these different events. In contrast to work that emphasizes the distinction between Remember and Know as being key to autonoetic consciousness, Re-experiencing, and Pre-experiencing for future events, were consistently identified as core markers of autonoetic consciousness. This was alongside Mental Time Travel in all types of memory events, but not for imagining the future. In addition, our factor analysis allows us to demonstrate directly - for the first time - the features of mental imagery associated with the sense of autonoetic consciousness in autobiographical memory; vivid, visual imagery from a first-person perspective. Finally, with regression analysis, the emergent factor structure of autonoetic consciousness was able to predict the richness of autobiographical memory texts, but not of episodic recall of the encoded video. This work provides a novel way to assess autonoetic consciousness, illustrates how autonoetic consciousness manifests differently in memory and imagination and defines the mental representations intrinsic to this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Zaman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom.
| | - Roni Setton
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, United States
| | - Caroline Catmur
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Russell
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
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2
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St Jacques PL. Individuals who rarely adopt observer perspectives report richer scene-based autobiographical memories. Sci Rep 2024; 14:19310. [PMID: 39164341 PMCID: PMC11336166 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70179-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
For most people, the capacity to adopt alternative visual perspectives when remembering emerges spontaneously due to the reconstructive nature of memories. Particularly as memories become more remote and are vulnerable to distortions, there is a shift in the perspective of memories from own eyes to observer-like views. Yet not all individuals report adopting novel perspectives in memories. The current study examines how self-reported differences in adopting an observer-like perspective influences autobiographical memory retrieval. Participants who reported rarely adopting an observer-like perspective had a diminished shift in perspective with memory remoteness and reported richer scene-related aspects of remembering. Additionally, the reduced tendency to use observer-like perspectives during autobiographical memory retrieval was linked to more accurate spatial visualization on a standardized objective test. Together these findings offer insights into individual differences in the malleability of memories, and the central role that maintaining our original perspective plays in preserving the personal past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peggy L St Jacques
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada.
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3
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Iachini T. Spatial memory and frames of reference: How deeply do we rely on the body and the environment? Cogn Process 2024; 25:79-83. [PMID: 39123059 PMCID: PMC11364679 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-024-01211-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
How do we mentally represent the world out there? Psychology, philosophy and neuroscience have given two classical answers: as a living space where we act and perceive, dependent on our bodies; as an enduring physical space with its feature, independent of our bodily interactions. The first would be based on egocentric frames of reference anchored to the body, while the second on allocentric frames of reference centred on the environment itself or on objects. This raises some questions concerning how deep the reliance on the body and the environment is when using these reference frames, and whether they are affected differently by the duration of time and the scale (small or large) of space. To answer these questions, I have brought empirical evidence of the effect of motor interference, blindness, environmental characteristics and temporal factors on egocentric and allocentric spatial representational capacity. The results suggest that egocentric representations are deeply rooted in the body, with its sensory and motor properties, and are closely linked to acting now in small-scale or peripersonal space. Allocentric representations are more influenced by environmental than by bodily characteristics, by visual than by motor properties, and seem particularly related to large-scale or extrapersonal space. In line with neurophysiological evidence and a Kantian perspective, it appears that we are endowed with an internal spatial representation system ready to structure environmental information for our purposes. To what extent this system is innate and pervasive in cognition and what is its relationship to the neural 'positioning' substrate discovered by O'Keefe and colleagues requires further scientific investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Iachini
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy.
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4
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Smith M, Cameron L, Ferguson HJ. Scene construction ability in neurotypical and autistic adults. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:1919-1933. [PMID: 38153207 PMCID: PMC11301963 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231216052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT People with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have difficulties imagining events, which might result from difficulty mentally generating and maintaining a coherent spatial scene. This study compared this scene construction ability between autistic (N = 55) and neurotypical (N = 63) adults. Results showed that scene construction was diminished in autistic compared to neurotypical participants, and participants with fewer autistic traits had better scene construction ability. ASC diagnosis did not influence the frequency of mentions of the self or of sensory experiences. Exploratory analysis suggests that scene construction ability is associated with the ability to understand our own and other people's mental states, and that these individual-level preferences/cognitive styles can overrule typical group-level characteristics.
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Lu Z, Julian JB, Aguirre GK, Epstein RA. A neural compass in the human brain during naturalistic virtual navigation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.18.590112. [PMID: 38712211 PMCID: PMC11071287 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.18.590112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
A central component of wayfinding is the ability to maintain a consistent representation of one's facing direction when moving about the world. In rodents, head direction cells are believed to support this "neural compass", but identifying a similar mechanism in humans during dynamic naturalistic navigation has been challenging. To address this issue, we acquired fMRI data while participants freely navigated through a virtual reality city. Encoding model analyses revealed voxel clusters in retrosplenial complex and superior parietal lobule that exhibited reliable tuning as a function of facing direction. Crucially, these directional tunings were consistent across perceptually different versions of the city, spatially separated locations within the city, and motivationally distinct phases of the behavioral task. Analysis of the model weights indicated that these regions may represent facing direction relative to the principal axis of the environment. These findings reveal specific mechanisms in the human brain that allow us to maintain a sense of direction during naturalistic, dynamic navigation.
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Zhou L, Wei W, Ooi TL, He ZJ. An allocentric human odometer for perceiving distances on the ground plane. eLife 2024; 12:RP88095. [PMID: 39023517 PMCID: PMC11257686 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
We reliably judge locations of static objects when we walk despite the retinal images of these objects moving with every step we take. Here, we showed our brains solve this optical illusion by adopting an allocentric spatial reference frame. We measured perceived target location after the observer walked a short distance from the home base. Supporting the allocentric coding scheme, we found the intrinsic bias , which acts as a spatial reference frame for perceiving location of a dimly lit target in the dark, remained grounded at the home base rather than traveled along with the observer. The path-integration mechanism responsible for this can utilize both active and passive (vestibular) translational motion signals, but only along the horizontal direction. This asymmetric path-integration finding in human visual space perception is reminiscent of the asymmetric spatial memory finding in desert ants, pointing to nature's wondrous and logically simple design for terrestrial creatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Zhou
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- College of Optometry, The Ohio State UniversityColumbusUnited States
| | - Teng Leng Ooi
- College of Optometry, The Ohio State UniversityColumbusUnited States
| | - Zijiang J He
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
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Long X, Deng B, Shen R, Yang L, Chen L, Ran Q, Du X, Zhang SJ. Border cells without theta rhythmicity in the medial prefrontal cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321614121. [PMID: 38857401 PMCID: PMC11194599 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321614121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a key brain structure for higher cognitive functions such as decision-making and goal-directed behavior, many of which require awareness of spatial variables including one's current position within the surrounding environment. Although previous studies have reported spatially tuned activities in mPFC during memory-related trajectory, the spatial tuning of mPFC network during freely foraging behavior remains elusive. Here, we reveal geometric border or border-proximal representations from the neural activity of mPFC ensembles during naturally exploring behavior, with both allocentric and egocentric boundary responses. Unlike most of classical border cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) discharging along a single wall, a large majority of border cells in mPFC fire particularly along four walls. mPFC border cells generate new firing fields to external insert, and remain stable under darkness, across distinct shapes, and in novel environments. In contrast to hippocampal theta entrainment during spatial working memory tasks, mPFC border cells rarely exhibited theta rhythmicity during spontaneous locomotion behavior. These findings reveal spatially modulated activity in mPFC, supporting local computation for cognitive functions involving spatial context and contributing to a broad spatial tuning property of cortical circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyang Long
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Bin Deng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Rui Shen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Lin Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Liping Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Qingxia Ran
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Xin Du
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Sheng-Jia Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
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8
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Sulpizio V, Teghil A, Pitzalis S, Boccia M. Common and specific activations supporting optic flow processing and navigation as revealed by a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:1021-1045. [PMID: 38592557 PMCID: PMC11147901 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02790-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Optic flow provides useful information in service of spatial navigation. However, whether brain networks supporting these two functions overlap is still unclear. Here we used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to assess the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and spatial navigation and their specific neural activations. Since computational and connectivity evidence suggests that visual input from optic flow provides information mainly during egocentric navigation, we further tested the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and that of both egocentric and allocentric navigation. Optic flow processing shared activation with egocentric (but not allocentric) navigation in the anterior precuneus, suggesting its role in providing information about self-motion, as derived from the analysis of optic flow, in service of egocentric navigation. We further documented that optic flow perception and navigation are partially segregated into two functional and anatomical networks, i.e., the dorsal and the ventromedial networks. Present results point to a dynamic interplay between the dorsal and ventral visual pathways aimed at coordinating visually guided navigation in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Sulpizio
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
- Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Alice Teghil
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Pitzalis
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ''Foro Italico'', Rome, Italy
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
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Satish A, Keller VG, Raza S, Fitzpatrick S, Horner AJ. Theta and alpha oscillations in human hippocampus and medial parietal cortex support the formation of location-based representations. Hippocampus 2024; 34:284-301. [PMID: 38520305 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Our ability to navigate in a new environment depends on learning new locations. Mental representations of locations are quickly accessible during navigation and allow us to know where we are regardless of our current viewpoint. Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research using pattern classification has shown that these location-based representations emerge in the retrosplenial cortex and parahippocampal gyrus, regions theorized to be critically involved in spatial navigation. However, little is currently known about the oscillatory dynamics that support the formation of location-based representations. We used magnetoencephalogram (MEG) recordings to investigate region-specific oscillatory activity in a task where participants could form location-based representations. Participants viewed videos showing that two perceptually distinct scenes (180° apart) belonged to the same location. This "overlap" video allowed participants to bind the two distinct scenes together into a more coherent location-based representation. Participants also viewed control "non-overlap" videos where two distinct scenes from two different locations were shown, where no location-based representation could be formed. In a post-video behavioral task, participants successfully matched the two viewpoints shown in the overlap videos, but not the non-overlap videos, indicating they successfully learned the locations in the overlap condition. Comparing oscillatory activity between the overlap and non-overlap videos, we found greater theta and alpha/beta power during the overlap relative to non-overlap videos, specifically at time-points when we expected scene integration to occur. These oscillations localized to regions in the medial parietal cortex (precuneus and retrosplenial cortex) and the medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus. Therefore, we find that theta and alpha/beta oscillations in the hippocampus and medial parietal cortex are likely involved in the formation of location-based representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akul Satish
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Sumaiyah Raza
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Aidan J Horner
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK
- York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, UK
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10
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Tavakol S, Kebets V, Royer J, Li Q, Auer H, DeKraker J, Jefferies E, Bernasconi N, Bernasconi A, Helmstaedter C, Arafat T, Armony J, Nathan Spreng R, Caciagli L, Frauscher B, Smallwood J, Bernhardt B. Differential relational memory impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2024; 155:109722. [PMID: 38643660 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2024.109722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is typically associated with pathology of the hippocampus, a key structure involved in relational memory, including episodic, semantic, and spatial memory processes. While it is widely accepted that TLE-associated hippocampal alterations underlie memory deficits, it remains unclear whether impairments relate to a specific cognitive domain or multiple ones. METHODS We administered a recently validated task paradigm to evaluate episodic, semantic, and spatial memory in 24 pharmacoresistant TLE patients and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We carried out two-way analyses of variance to identify memory deficits in individuals with TLE relative to controls across different relational memory domains, and used partial least squares correlation to identify factors contributing to variations in relational memory performance across both cohorts. RESULTS Compared to controls, TLE patients showed marked impairments in episodic and spatial memory, with mixed findings in semantic memory. Even when additionally controlling for age, sex, and overall cognitive function, between-group differences persisted along episodic and spatial domains. Moreover, age, diagnostic group, and hippocampal volume were all associated with relational memory behavioral phenotypes. SIGNIFICANCE Our behavioral findings show graded deficits across relational memory domains in people with TLE, which provides further insights into the complex pattern of cognitive impairment in the condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Tavakol
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Valeria Kebets
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Jessica Royer
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Qiongling Li
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Hans Auer
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Jordan DeKraker
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | | | - Neda Bernasconi
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Andrea Bernasconi
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | | | - Thaera Arafat
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Jorge Armony
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Lorenzo Caciagli
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Birgit Frauscher
- ANPHY Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | | | - Boris Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
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11
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Gonçalves-Garcia M, Barto D, Reyna N, Clark BJ, Hamilton DA. The Prominence of Action Sequences and Behavioral Similarity in the Morris Water Task. Perspect Behav Sci 2024; 47:449-470. [PMID: 39099741 PMCID: PMC11294510 DOI: 10.1007/s40614-024-00402-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The question of What is learned when navigating to a place is reinforced has been the subject of considerable debate. Prevailing views emphasize cognitive structures (e.g., maps) or associative learning, which has shaped measurement in spatial navigation tasks (e.g., the Morris water task [MWT]) toward selection of coarse measures that do not capture precise behaviors of individual animals. We analyzed the navigation paths of 15 rats (60 trials each) in the MWT at high temporal resolution (30Hz) and utilized dynamic time warping to quantify the similarity of paths within and between animals. Paths were largely direct, yet suboptimal, and included changes in speed and trajectory that were established early in training and unique to each animal. Individual rats executed similar paths from the same release point from trial to trial, which were distinct from paths executed by other rats as well as paths performed by the same rat from other release points. These observations suggest that rats learn to execute similar path sequences from trial to trial for each release point in the MWT. Occasional spontaneous deviations from the established, unique behavioral sequence, resulted in profound disruption in navigation accuracy. We discuss the potential implications of sequence navigation behaviors for understanding relations between behavior and spatial neural signals such as place cells, grid cells, and head direction cells. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40614-024-00402-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mônica Gonçalves-Garcia
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2220, 1, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA
| | - Daniel Barto
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2220, 1, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA
| | - Nicole Reyna
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2220, 1, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA
| | - Benjamin J. Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2220, 1, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA
| | - Derek A. Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2220, 1, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA
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Waddington EE, Allison DJ, Calabrese EM, Pekos C, Lee A, Walsh JJ, Heisz JJ. Orienteering combines vigorous-intensity exercise with navigation to improve human cognition and increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303785. [PMID: 38776348 PMCID: PMC11111042 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Exercise enhances aspects of human cognition, but its intensity may matter. Recent animal research suggests that vigorous exercise, which releases greater amounts of lactate, activates more brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus and, thus, may be optimal for supporting cognitive function. The cognitive benefits of exercise may be further augmented when combined with cognitive training. The sport of orienteering simultaneously combines exercise with spatial navigation and, therefore, may result in greater cognitive benefits than exercising only, especially at vigorous intensities. The present study aimed to examine the effects of an acute bout of orienteering at different intensities on cognition and BDNF compared to exercising only. We hypothesized that vigorous-intensity orienteering would increase lactate and BDNF and improve cognition more than moderate-intensity orienteering or vigorous exercise alone. Sixty-three recreationally active, healthy young adults (Mage = 21.10±2.75 years) with no orienteering experience completed a 1.3 km intervention course by navigating and exercising at a vigorous (80-85% of heart rate reserve) or moderate (40-50% of heart rate reserve) intensity or exercising vigorously without navigation. Exercise intensity was monitored using peak lactate, heart rate and rating of perceived exertion. Serum BDNF was extracted immediately before and after the intervention. Memory was assessed using the Mnemonic Similarity Task (high-interference memory) and the Groton Maze Learning Test (spatial memory). Both exercising and orienteering at a vigorous intensity elicited greater peak lactate and increases in BDNF than moderate-intensity orienteering, and individuals with higher peak lactate also had greater increases in BDNF. High-interference memory improved after both vigorous-intensity interventions but did not improve after the moderate-intensity intervention. Spatial memory only increased after vigorous-intensity orienteering, suggesting that orienteering at a vigorous intensity may particularly benefit spatial cognition. Overall, the results demonstrate the benefits of vigorous exercise on human cognition and BDNF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E. Waddington
- Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - David J. Allison
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emilie M. Calabrese
- Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cara Pekos
- Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adrienne Lee
- Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeremy J. Walsh
- Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennifer J. Heisz
- Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Yanakieva S, Frost BE, Amin E, Nelson AJD, Aggleton JP. Disrupting direct inputs from the dorsal subiculum to the granular retrosplenial cortex impairs flexible spatial memory in the rat. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2715-2731. [PMID: 38494604 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
In a changing environment, animals must process spatial signals in a flexible manner. The rat hippocampal formation projects directly upon the retrosplenial cortex, with most inputs arising from the dorsal subiculum and terminating in the granular retrosplenial cortex (area 29). The present study examined whether these same projections are required for spatial working memory and what happens when available spatial cues are altered. Consequently, injections of iDREADDs were made into the dorsal subiculum of rats. In a separate control group, GFP-expressing adeno-associated virus was injected into the dorsal subiculum. Both groups received intracerebral infusions within the retrosplenial cortex of clozapine, which in the iDREADDs rats should selectively disrupt the subiculum to retrosplenial projections. When tested on reinforced T-maze alternation, disruption of the subiculum to retrosplenial projections had no evident effect on the performance of those alternation trials when all spatial-cue types remained present and unchanged. However, the same iDREADDs manipulation impaired performance on all three alternation conditions when there was a conflict or selective removal of spatial cues. These findings reveal how the direct projections from the dorsal subiculum to the retrosplenial cortex support the flexible integration of different spatial cue types, helping the animal to adopt the spatial strategy that best meets current environmental demands.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eman Amin
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
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14
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Li H, Ye Q, Wang D, Shi B, Xu W, Zhang S, Han X, Zhang XY, Thompson GJ. Resting State Brain Networks under Inverse Agonist versus Complete Knockout of the Cannabinoid Receptor 1. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1669-1683. [PMID: 38575140 PMCID: PMC11027912 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is famous as the target of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the active ingredient of marijuana. Suppression of CB1 is frequently suggested as a drug target or gene therapy for many conditions (e.g., obesity, Parkinson's disease). However, brain networks affected by CB1 remain elusive, and unanticipated psychological effects in a clinical trial had dire consequences. To better understand the whole brain effects of CB1 suppression we performed in vivo imaging on mice under complete knockout of the gene for CB1 (cnr1-/-) and also under the CB1 inverse agonist rimonabant. We examined white matter structural changes and brain function (network activity and directional uniformity) in cnr1-/- mice. In cnr1-/- mice, white matter (in both sexes) and functional directional uniformity (in male mice) were altered across the brain but network activity was largely unaltered. Conversely, under rimonabant, functional directional uniformity was not altered but network activity was altered in cortical regions, primarily in networks known to be altered by THC (e.g., neocortex, hippocampal formation). However, rimonabant did not alter many brain regions found in both our cnr1-/- results and previous behavioral studies of cnr1-/- mice (e.g., thalamus, infralimbic area). This suggests that chronic loss of cnr1 is substantially different from short-term suppression, subtly rewiring the brain but largely maintaining the network activity. Our results help explain why pathological mutations in CB1 (e.g., chronic pain) do not always provide insight into the side effects of CB1 suppression (e.g., clinical depression), and thus urge more preclinical studies for any drugs that suppress CB1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Li
- iHuman
Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Qiong Ye
- High
Magnetic Field Laboratory, Hefei Institutes
of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China
| | - Da Wang
- iHuman
Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- School
of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Bowen Shi
- iHuman
Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- School
of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Wenjing Xu
- Institute
of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
- Key
Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Shuning Zhang
- iHuman
Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- School
of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Xiaoyang Han
- Institute
of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
- Key
Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiao-Yong Zhang
- Institute
of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
- Key
Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200433, China
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15
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Serino S, Di Lernia D, Magni G, Manenti P, De Gasperi S, Riva G, Repetto C. Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Memory for Body Parts: A Virtual Reality Study. J Cogn 2024; 7:33. [PMID: 38638460 PMCID: PMC11025578 DOI: 10.5334/joc.357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Extensive literature elucidated the mechanisms underlying the ability to memorize the positions of objects in space. However, less is known about the impact that objects' features have on spatial memory. The present study aims to investigate differences in egocentric and allocentric object-location memory between hand stimuli depicted in a first-person perspective (1PP) or in a third-person one (3PP). Fifty-two adults encoded spatial positions within a virtual museum environment featuring four square buildings. Each of these buildings featured eight paintings positioned along the walls, with two pictures displayed on each of the four walls. Thirty-two stimuli were employed, which represented pictures of the right hand performing various types of gestures. Half of the stimuli depicted the hand in the 1PP, while the other half depicted the hand in the 3PP. Both free and guided explorations served as encoding conditions. Immediately after that, participants underwent a two-step object-location memory task. Participants were provided with a map of the museum and asked to identify the correct building where the image was located (allocentric memory). Then, they were presented with a schematic representation of the exhibition room divided into four sections and instructed to select the section where they thought the picture was located (egocentric memory). Our findings indicate a memory performance boost associated with egocentric recall, regardless of the perspective of the bodily stimuli. The results are discussed considering the emerging literature on the mnemonic properties of body-related stimuli for spatial memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Serino
- Department of Psychology, Universitàdegli Studi Milano –Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Di Lernia
- Humane Technology Lab, UniversitàCattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Magni
- Faculty of Psychology, UniversitàCattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Manenti
- Faculty of Psychology, UniversitàCattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano De Gasperi
- Humane Technology Lab, UniversitàCattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
- Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Riva
- Humane Technology Lab, UniversitàCattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
- Applied Technology for Neuro Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Repetto
- Department of Psychology, UniversitàCattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
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16
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Zhou L, Wei W, Ooi TL, He ZJ. An allocentric human odometer for perceiving distances on the ground plane. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.03.22.533725. [PMID: 38645085 PMCID: PMC11030244 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.22.533725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
We reliably judge locations of static objects when we walk despite the retinal images of these objects moving with every step we take. Here, we showed our brains solve this optical illusion by adopting an allocentric spatial reference frame. We measured perceived target location after the observer walked a short distance from the home base. Supporting the allocentric coding scheme, we found the intrinsic bias 1, 2 , which acts as a spatial reference frame for perceiving location of a dimly lit target in the dark, remained grounded at the home base rather than traveled along with the observer. The path-integration mechanism responsible for this can utilize both active and passive (vestibular) translational motion signals, but only along the horizontal direction. This anisotropic path-integration finding in human visual space perception is reminiscent of the anisotropic spatial memory finding in desert ants 3 , pointing to nature's wondrous and logically simple design for terrestrial creatures.
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17
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Foudil SA, Macaluso E. The influence of the precuneus on the medial temporal cortex determines the subjective quality of memory during the retrieval of naturalistic episodes. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7943. [PMID: 38575698 PMCID: PMC10995201 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58298-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Memory retrieval entails dynamic interactions between the medial temporal lobe and areas in the parietal and frontal cortices. Here, we tested the hypothesis that effective connectivity between the precuneus, in the medial parietal cortex, and the medial temporal cortex contributes to the subjective quality of remembering objects together with information about their rich spatio-temporal encoding context. During a 45 min encoding session, the participants were presented with pictures of objects while they actively explored a virtual town. The following day, under fMRI, participants were presented with images of objects and had to report whether: they recognized the object and could remember the place/time of encoding, the object was familiar only, or the object was new. The hippocampus/parahippocampus, the precuneus and the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex activated when the participants successfully recognized objects they had seen in the virtual town and reported that they could remember the place/time of these events. Analyses of effective connectivity showed that the influence exerted by the precuneus on the medial temporal cortex mediates this effect of episodic recollection. Our findings demonstrate the role of the inter-regional connectivity in mediating the subjective experience of remembering and underline the relevance of studying memory in contextually-rich conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy-Adrien Foudil
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), U1028 UMR5292, IMPACT, 69500, Bron, France.
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (ImpAct Team), 16 Avenue Doyen Lépine, 69500, Bron, France.
| | - Emiliano Macaluso
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), U1028 UMR5292, IMPACT, 69500, Bron, France
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (ImpAct Team), 16 Avenue Doyen Lépine, 69500, Bron, France
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18
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Knox D, Parikh V. Basal forebrain cholinergic systems as circuits through which traumatic stress disrupts emotional memory regulation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 159:105569. [PMID: 38309497 PMCID: PMC10948307 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Contextual and spatial systems facilitate changes in emotional memory regulation brought on by traumatic stress. Cholinergic basal forebrain (chBF) neurons provide input to contextual/spatial systems and although chBF neurons are important for emotional memory, it is unknown how they contribute to the traumatic stress effects on emotional memory. Clusters of chBF neurons that project to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) modulate fear conditioned suppression and passive avoidance, while clusters of chBF neurons that project to the hippocampus (Hipp) and PFC (i.e. cholinergic medial septum and diagonal bands of Broca (chMS/DBB neurons) are critical for fear extinction. Interestingly, neither Hipp nor PFC projecting chMS/DBB neurons are critical for fear extinction. The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a contextual/spatial memory system that receives input from chMS/DBB neurons, but whether this chMS/DBB-RSC circuit facilitates traumatic stress effects on emotional memory remain unexplored. Traumatic stress leads to neuroinflammation and the buildup of reactive oxygen species. These two molecular processes may converge to disrupt chBF circuits enhancing the impact of traumatic stress on emotional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayan Knox
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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19
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LaChance PA, Taube JS. The Anterior Thalamus Preferentially Drives Allocentric But Not Egocentric Orientation Tuning in Postrhinal Cortex. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0861232024. [PMID: 38286624 PMCID: PMC10919204 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0861-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Navigating a complex world requires integration of multiple spatial reference frames, including information about one's orientation in both allocentric and egocentric coordinates. Combining these two information sources can provide additional information about one's spatial location. Previous studies have demonstrated that both egocentric and allocentric spatial signals are reflected by the firing of neurons in the rat postrhinal cortex (POR), an area that may serve as a hub for integrating allocentric head direction (HD) cell information with egocentric information from center-bearing and center-distance cells. However, we have also demonstrated that POR HD cells are uniquely influenced by the visual properties and locations of visual landmarks, bringing into question whether the POR HD signal is truly allocentric as opposed to simply being a response to visual stimuli. To investigate this issue, we recorded HD cells from the POR of female rats while bilaterally inactivating the anterior thalamus (ATN), a region critical for expression of the "classic" HD signal in cortical areas. We found that ATN inactivation led to a significant decrease in both firing rate and tuning strength for POR HD cells, as well as a disruption in the encoding of allocentric location by conjunctive HD/egocentric cells. In contrast, POR egocentric cells without HD tuning were largely unaffected in a consistent manner by ATN inactivation. These results indicate that the POR HD signal originates at least partially from projections from the ATN and supports the view that the POR acts as a hub for the integration of egocentric and allocentric spatial representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A LaChance
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - Jeffrey S Taube
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
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20
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Jeffery KJ. The mosaic structure of the mammalian cognitive map. Learn Behav 2024; 52:19-34. [PMID: 38231426 PMCID: PMC10923978 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-023-00618-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
The cognitive map, proposed by Tolman in the 1940s, is a hypothetical internal representation of space constructed by the brain to enable an animal to undertake flexible spatial behaviors such as navigation. The subsequent discovery of place cells in the hippocampus of rats suggested that such a map-like representation does exist, and also provided a tool with which to explore its properties. Single-neuron studies in rodents conducted in small singular spaces have suggested that the map is founded on a metric framework, preserving distances and directions in an abstract representational format. An open question is whether this metric structure pertains over extended, often complexly structured real-world space. The data reviewed here suggest that this is not the case. The emerging picture is that instead of being a single, unified construct, the map is a mosaic of fragments that are heterogeneous, variably metric, multiply scaled, and sometimes laid on top of each other. Important organizing factors within and between fragments include boundaries, context, compass direction, and gravity. The map functions not to provide a comprehensive and precise rendering of the environment but rather to support adaptive behavior, tailored to the species and situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate J Jeffery
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
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21
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Spens E, Burgess N. A generative model of memory construction and consolidation. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:526-543. [PMID: 38242925 PMCID: PMC10963272 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01799-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Episodic memories are (re)constructed, share neural substrates with imagination, combine unique features with schema-based predictions and show schema-based distortions that increase with consolidation. Here we present a computational model in which hippocampal replay (from an autoassociative network) trains generative models (variational autoencoders) to (re)create sensory experiences from latent variable representations in entorhinal, medial prefrontal and anterolateral temporal cortices via the hippocampal formation. Simulations show effects of memory age and hippocampal lesions in agreement with previous models, but also provide mechanisms for semantic memory, imagination, episodic future thinking, relational inference and schema-based distortions including boundary extension. The model explains how unique sensory and predictable conceptual elements of memories are stored and reconstructed by efficiently combining both hippocampal and neocortical systems, optimizing the use of limited hippocampal storage for new and unusual information. Overall, we believe hippocampal replay training generative models provides a comprehensive account of memory construction, imagination and consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Spens
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Neil Burgess
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
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22
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Peters‐Founshtein G, Gazit L, Naveh T, Domachevsky L, Korczyn AD, Bernstine H, Shaharabani‐Gargir L, Groshar D, Marshall GA, Arzy S. Lost in space(s): Multimodal neuroimaging of disorientation along the Alzheimer's disease continuum. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26623. [PMID: 38488454 PMCID: PMC10941506 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Orientation is a fundamental cognitive faculty and the bedrock of the neurologic examination. Orientation is defined as the alignment between an individual's internal representation and the external world in the spatial, temporal, and social domains. While spatial disorientation is a recognized hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), little is known about disorientation beyond space in AD. This study aimed to explore disorientation in spatial, temporal, and social domains along the AD continuum. Fifty-one participants along the AD continuum performed an ecological orientation task in the spatial, temporal, and social domains while undergoing functional MRI. Disorientation in AD followed a three-way association between orientation domain, brain region, and disease stage. Specifically, patients with early amnestic mild cognitive impairment exhibited spatio-temporal disorientation and reduced brain activity in temporoparietal regions, while patients with AD dementia showed additional social disorientation and reduced brain activity in frontoparietal regions. Furthermore, patterns of hypoactivation overlapped different subnetworks of the default mode network, patterns of fluorodeoxyglucose hypometabolism, and cortical atrophy characteristic of AD. Our results suggest that AD may encompass a disorder of orientation, characterized by a biphasic process manifesting as early spatio-temporal and late social disorientation. As such, disorientation may offer a unique window into the clinicopathological progression of AD. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Despite extensive research into Alzheimer's disease (AD), its core cognitive deficit remains a matter of debate. In this study, we investigated whether orientation, defined as the ability to align internal representations with the external world in spatial, temporal, and social domains, constitutes a core cognitive deficit in AD. To do so, we used PET-fMRI imaging to collect behavioral, functional, and metabolic data from 51 participants along the AD continuum. Our findings suggest that AD may constitute a disorder of orientation, characterized by an early spatio-temporal disorientation and followed by late social disorientation, manifesting in task-evoked and neurodegenerative changes. We propose that a profile of disorientation across multiple domains offers a unique window into the progression of AD and as such could greatly benefit disease diagnosis, monitoring, and evaluation of treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Peters‐Founshtein
- The Computational Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of MedicineHebrew University of JerusalemJerusalemIsrael
- Department of Nuclear MedicineSheba Medical CenterRamat‐GanIsrael
| | - Lidor Gazit
- The Computational Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of MedicineHebrew University of JerusalemJerusalemIsrael
- Department of NeurologyHadassah Hebrew University Medical SchoolJerusalemIsrael
| | - Tahel Naveh
- The Computational Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of MedicineHebrew University of JerusalemJerusalemIsrael
- Department of NeurologyHadassah Hebrew University Medical SchoolJerusalemIsrael
| | - Liran Domachevsky
- Department of Nuclear MedicineSheba Medical CenterRamat‐GanIsrael
- Department of Nuclear MedicineAssuta Medical CenterTel‐AvivIsrael
| | | | - Hanna Bernstine
- Department of Nuclear MedicineAssuta Medical CenterTel‐AvivIsrael
- Department of ImagingTel‐Aviv UniversityTel‐AvivIsrael
- Department of Nuclear MedicineRabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | | | - David Groshar
- Department of Nuclear MedicineAssuta Medical CenterTel‐AvivIsrael
- Department of ImagingTel‐Aviv UniversityTel‐AvivIsrael
| | - Gad A. Marshall
- Department of Neurology, Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's HospitalMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Shahar Arzy
- The Computational Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of MedicineHebrew University of JerusalemJerusalemIsrael
- Department of NeurologyHadassah Hebrew University Medical SchoolJerusalemIsrael
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23
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Cheng N, Dong Q, Zhang Z, Wang L, Chen X, Wang C. Egocentric processing of items in spines, dendrites, and somas in the retrosplenial cortex. Neuron 2024; 112:646-660.e8. [PMID: 38101396 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Egocentric representations of external items are essential for spatial navigation and memory. Here, we explored the neural mechanisms underlying egocentric processing in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a pivotal area for memory and navigation. Using one-photon and two-photon calcium imaging, we identified egocentric tuning for environment boundaries in dendrites, spines, and somas of RSC neurons (egocentric boundary cells) in the open-field task. Dendrites with egocentric tuning tended to have similarly tuned spines. We further identified egocentric neurons representing landmarks in a virtual navigation task or remembered cue location in a goal-oriented task, respectively. These neurons formed an independent population with egocentric boundary cells, suggesting that dedicated neurons with microscopic clustering of functional inputs shaped egocentric boundary processing in RSC and that RSC adopted a labeled line code with distinct classes of egocentric neurons responsible for representing different items in specific behavioral contexts, which could lead to efficient and flexible computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Cheng
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Qiqi Dong
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Li Wang
- Brain Research Centre, Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiaojing Chen
- Brain Research Centre, Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Cheng Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; CAS Centre for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligent Technology, Shanghai, China.
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24
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Jeffery KJ, Cheng K, Newcombe NS, Bingman VP, Menzel R. Unpacking the navigation toolbox: insights from comparative cognition. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231304. [PMID: 38320615 PMCID: PMC10846957 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of navigation is informed by ethological data from many species, laboratory investigation at behavioural and neurobiological levels, and computational modelling. However, the data are often species-specific, making it challenging to develop general models of how biology supports behaviour. Wiener et al. outlined a framework for organizing the results across taxa, called the 'navigation toolbox' (Wiener et al. In Animal thinking: contemporary issues in comparative cognition (eds R Menzel, J Fischer), pp. 51-76). This framework proposes that spatial cognition is a hierarchical process in which sensory inputs at the lowest level are successively combined into ever-more complex representations, culminating in a metric or quasi-metric internal model of the world (cognitive map). Some animals, notably humans, also use symbolic representations to produce an external representation, such as a verbal description, signpost or map that allows communication of spatial information or instructions between individuals. Recently, new discoveries have extended our understanding of how spatial representations are constructed, highlighting that the hierarchical relationships are bidirectional, with higher levels feeding back to influence lower levels. In the light of these new developments, we revisit the navigation toolbox, elaborate it and incorporate new findings. The toolbox provides a common framework within which the results from different taxa can be described and compared, yielding a more detailed, mechanistic and generalized understanding of navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate J. Jeffery
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK
| | - Ken Cheng
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Nora S. Newcombe
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Verner P. Bingman
- J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0001, USA
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0001, USA
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute for Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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25
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George TM, Rastogi M, de Cothi W, Clopath C, Stachenfeld K, Barry C. RatInABox, a toolkit for modelling locomotion and neuronal activity in continuous environments. eLife 2024; 13:e85274. [PMID: 38334473 PMCID: PMC10857787 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Generating synthetic locomotory and neural data is a useful yet cumbersome step commonly required to study theoretical models of the brain's role in spatial navigation. This process can be time consuming and, without a common framework, makes it difficult to reproduce or compare studies which each generate test data in different ways. In response, we present RatInABox, an open-source Python toolkit designed to model realistic rodent locomotion and generate synthetic neural data from spatially modulated cell types. This software provides users with (i) the ability to construct one- or two-dimensional environments with configurable barriers and visual cues, (ii) a physically realistic random motion model fitted to experimental data, (iii) rapid online calculation of neural data for many of the known self-location or velocity selective cell types in the hippocampal formation (including place cells, grid cells, boundary vector cells, head direction cells) and (iv) a framework for constructing custom cell types, multi-layer network models and data- or policy-controlled motion trajectories. The motion and neural models are spatially and temporally continuous as well as topographically sensitive to boundary conditions and walls. We demonstrate that out-of-the-box parameter settings replicate many aspects of rodent foraging behaviour such as velocity statistics and the tendency of rodents to over-explore walls. Numerous tutorial scripts are provided, including examples where RatInABox is used for decoding position from neural data or to solve a navigational reinforcement learning task. We hope this tool will significantly streamline computational research into the brain's role in navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom M George
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Mehul Rastogi
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - William de Cothi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Claudia Clopath
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Caswell Barry
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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26
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Orti R, Coello Y, Ruotolo F, Vincent M, Bartolo A, Iachini T, Ruggiero G. Cortical Correlates of Visuospatial Switching Processes Between Egocentric and Allocentric Frames of Reference: A fNIRS Study. Brain Topogr 2024:10.1007/s10548-023-01032-0. [PMID: 38315347 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-01032-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Human beings represent spatial information according to egocentric (body-to-object) and allocentric (object-to-object) frames of reference. In everyday life, we constantly switch from one frame of reference to another in order to react effectively to the specific needs of the environment and task demands. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study to date has investigated the cortical activity of switching and non-switching processes between egocentric and allocentric spatial encodings. To this aim, a custom-designed visuo-spatial memory task was administered and the cortical activities underlying switching vs non-switching spatial processes were investigated. Changes in concentrations of oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Participants were asked to memorize triads of geometric objects and then make two consecutive judgments about the same triad. In the non-switching condition, both spatial judgments considered the same frame of reference: only egocentric or only allocentric. In the switching condition, if the first judgment was egocentric, the second one was allocentric (or vice versa). The results showed a generalized activation of the frontal regions during the switching compared to the non-switching condition. Additionally, increased cortical activity was found in the temporo-parietal junction during the switching condition compared to the non-switching condition. Overall, these results illustrate the cortical activity underlying the processing of switching between body position and environmental stimuli, showing an important role of the temporo-parietal junction and frontal regions in the preparation and switching between egocentric and allocentric reference frames.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato Orti
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico, 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Yann Coello
- UMR 9193, SCALab, Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Université de Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Francesco Ruotolo
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico, 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Marion Vincent
- UMR 9193, SCALab, Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Université de Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Angela Bartolo
- UMR 9193, SCALab, Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Université de Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Tina Iachini
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico, 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Gennaro Ruggiero
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico, 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.
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27
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Salmon E, Meyer F, Genon S, Collette F, Bastin C. Neural correlates of impaired cognitive processes underlying self-unawareness in Alzheimer's disease. Cortex 2024; 171:1-12. [PMID: 37977109 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Self-unawareness concerning current symptoms remains a clinical challenge in Alzheimer's disease. Reduced self-awareness likely depends on complex biopsychosocial mechanisms that comprise multiple cognitive processes, regulated by personal goals and values. We specifically reviewed the cognitive processes impaired in unaware participants with AD by emphasizing the related impaired brain activity observed during task-based fMRI. Unawareness can be explained by a failure in functioning of or in connection between brain regions that intervene in access, retrieval and updating of (present or extended) self-information (posterior midline, medial temporal, inferior parietal cortices), or in its monitoring, evaluation, or control (medial and lateral prefrontal cortices). Although one must be cautious when relating function to brain regions, impaired processes were tentatively related to the Cognitive Awareness Model. Although brain function depends on neural networks, impaired brain activity during cognitive processes was discussed according to previous studies reporting correlations between brain regions and scores of anosognosia. The review provides a framework to help clinicians considering processes that can explain unawareness in dementia. In patients at early stages of AD, different levels of awareness of cognitive or social clinical changes might be described as impairment in the interaction between specific cognitive processes and contents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Salmon
- GIGA Cyclotron Research Centre in Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
| | - François Meyer
- GIGA Cyclotron Research Centre in Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
| | - Sarah Genon
- GIGA Cyclotron Research Centre in Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany.
| | - Fabienne Collette
- GIGA Cyclotron Research Centre in Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
| | - Christine Bastin
- GIGA Cyclotron Research Centre in Vivo Imaging, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
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28
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He Q, Liu JL, Eschapasse L, Zagora AK, Brown TI. The neural correlates of memory integration in value-based decision-making during human spatial navigation. Neuropsychologia 2024; 193:108758. [PMID: 38103679 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
In daily life, we often make decisions based on relative value of the options, and we often derive these values from segmenting or integrating the outcomes of past episodes in memory. The neural correlates involved in value-based decision-making have been extensively studied in the literature, but few studies have investigated this topic in decisions that require segmenting or integrating episodic memory from related sources, and even fewer studies examine it in the context of spatial navigation. Building on the computational models from our previous studies, the current study investigates the neural substrates involved in decisions that require people either segment or integrate wayfinding outcomes involving different goals, across virtual spatial navigation tasks with differing demands. We find that when decisions require computation of spatial distances for navigation options, but also evaluation of one's prior spatial navigation ability with the task, the estimated value of navigational choices (EV) modulates neural activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal (dmPFC) cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal (vlFPC) cortex. However, superior parietal cortex tracked EV when decision-making tasks only require spatial distance memory but not evaluation of spatial navigation ability. Our findings reveal divergent neural substrates of memory integration in value-based decision-making under different spatial processing demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiliang He
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.
| | - Jancy Ling Liu
- School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Lou Eschapasse
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Anna K Zagora
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
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29
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Roseman M, Elias U, Kletenik I, Ferguson MA, Fox MD, Horowitz Z, Marshall GA, Spiers HJ, Arzy S. A neural circuit for spatial orientation derived from brain lesions. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad486. [PMID: 38100330 PMCID: PMC10793567 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
There is disagreement regarding the major components of the brain network supporting spatial cognition. To address this issue, we applied a lesion mapping approach to the clinical phenomenon of topographical disorientation. Topographical disorientation is the inability to maintain accurate knowledge about the physical environment and use it for navigation. A review of published topographical disorientation cases identified 65 different lesion sites. Our lesion mapping analysis yielded a topographical disorientation brain map encompassing the classic regions of the navigation network: medial parietal, medial temporal, and temporo-parietal cortices. We also identified a ventromedial region of the prefrontal cortex, which has been absent from prior descriptions of this network. Moreover, we revealed that the regions mapped are correlated with the Default Mode Network sub-network C. Taken together, this study provides causal evidence for the distribution of the spatial cognitive system, demarking the major components and identifying novel regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moshe Roseman
- Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Ein Kerem Campus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel
| | - Uri Elias
- Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Ein Kerem Campus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel
| | - Isaiah Kletenik
- Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Radiology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Michael A Ferguson
- Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Radiology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Michael D Fox
- Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Radiology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Zalman Horowitz
- Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Ein Kerem Campus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel
| | - Gad A Marshall
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Hugo J Spiers
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, United Kingdom
| | - Shahar Arzy
- Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Ein Kerem Campus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel
- Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190501, Israel
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30
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Tuena C, Serino S, Pedroli E, Stramba-Badiale C, Goulene KM, Stramba-Badiale M, Riva G. Embodied Spatial Navigation Training in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Proof-of-Concept Trial. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 100:923-934. [PMID: 38968049 PMCID: PMC11307080 DOI: 10.3233/jad-240200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Background Egocentric and allocentric spatial memory impairments affect the navigation abilities of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Embodied cognition research hints that specific aids can be implemented into virtual reality (VR) training to enhance spatial memory. Objective In this study, we preliminarily tested 'ANTaging', an embodied-based immersive VR training for egocentric and allocentric memory, compared to treatment as usual (TAU) spatial training in MCI. Methods MCI patients were recruited for this controlled trial. A cognitive battery was administered at pre-test, after ten sessions of ANTaging or TAU intervention, and at 3-month follow-up (FU). The primary outcomes were spatial cognition tests (Corsi supra-span, CSS; Manikin test, MT). VR egocentric and allocentric performance was also collected. Results We found that ANTaging significantly improved MT scores at FU compared to TAU. CSS slightly improved in both groups. Concerning secondary outcomes, auditory-verbal forgetting significantly improved at post-test in the ANTaging but not TAU group and significantly declined at FU in the TAU but not in the ANTaging group. Global cognition significantly improved at FU for TAU and remained stable for ANTaging. Other tests showed no improvement or deterioration. Clinical significance showed that ANTaging is effective for CSS. Virtual egocentric and allocentric memory performance improved across ANTaging sessions. Conclusions ANTaging holds the potential to be superior for improving spatial cognition in MCI compared to TAU. Embodied cognition research provides insights for designing effective spatial navigation rehabilitation in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosimo Tuena
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Faculty of Psychology, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy
| | - Silvia Serino
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Pedroli
- Faculty of Psychology, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy
- Department of Geriatrics and Cardiovascular Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Stramba-Badiale
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Karine Marie Goulene
- Department of Geriatrics and Cardiovascular Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Stramba-Badiale
- Department of Geriatrics and Cardiovascular Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Riva
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Humane Technology Lab, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
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31
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Gunia A, Moraresku S, Janča R, Ježdík P, Kalina A, Hammer J, Marusič P, Vlček K. The brain dynamics of visuospatial perspective-taking captured by intracranial EEG. Neuroimage 2024; 285:120487. [PMID: 38072339 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Visuospatial perspective-taking (VPT) is the ability to imagine a scene from a position different from the one used in self-perspective judgments (SPJ). We typically use VPT to understand how others see the environment. VPT requires overcoming the self-perspective, and impairments in this process are implicated in various brain disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism. However, the underlying brain areas of VPT are not well distinguished from SPJ-related ones and from domain-general responses to both perspectives. In addition, hierarchical processing theory suggests that domain-specific processes emerge over time from domain-general ones. It mainly focuses on the sensory system, but outside of it, support for this hypothesis is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to spatiotemporally distinguish brain responses domain-specific to VPT from the specific ones to self-perspective, and domain-general responses to both perspectives. In particular, we intended to test whether VPT- and SPJ specific responses begin later than the general ones. We recorded intracranial EEG data from 30 patients with epilepsy who performed a task requiring laterality judgments during VPT and SPJ, and analyzed the spatiotemporal features of responses in the broad gamma band (50-150 Hz). We found VPT-specific processing in a more extensive brain network than SPJ-specific processing. Their dynamics were similar, but both differed from the general responses, which began earlier and lasted longer. Our results anatomically distinguish VPT-specific from SPJ-specific processing. Furthermore, we temporally differentiate between domain-specific and domain-general processes both inside and outside the sensory system, which serves as a novel example of hierarchical processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gunia
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Sofiia Moraresku
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Radek Janča
- Department of Circuit Theory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Ježdík
- Department of Circuit Theory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Adam Kalina
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Hammer
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Marusič
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kamil Vlček
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
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32
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Philippen S, Hanert A, Schönfeld R, Granert O, Yilmaz R, Jensen-Kondering U, Splittgerber M, Moliadze V, Siniatchkin M, Berg D, Bartsch T. Transcranial direct current stimulation of the right temporoparietal junction facilitates hippocampal spatial learning in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Clin Neurophysiol 2024; 157:48-60. [PMID: 38056370 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2023.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Spatial memory deficits are an early symptom in Alzheimer's disease (AD), reflecting the neurodegenerative processes in the neuronal navigation network such as in hippocampal and parietal cortical areas. As no effective treatment options are available, neuromodulatory interventions are increasingly evaluated. Against this backdrop, we investigated the neuromodulatory effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on hippocampal place learning in patients with AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study with a cross-over design anodal tDCS of the right temporoparietal junction (2 mA for 20 min) was applied to 20 patients diagnosed with AD or MCI and in 22 healthy controls while they performed a virtual navigation paradigm testing hippocampal place learning. RESULTS We show an improved recall performance of hippocampal place learning after anodal tDCS in the patient group compared to sham stimulation but not in the control group. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that tDCS can facilitate spatial memory consolidation via stimulating the parietal-hippocampal navigation network in AD and MCI patients. SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that tDCS of the temporoparietal junction may restore spatial navigation and memory deficits in patients with AD and MCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Philippen
- Dept. of Neurology, Memory Disorder and Plasticity Group, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - A Hanert
- Dept. of Neurology, Memory Disorder and Plasticity Group, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - R Schönfeld
- Psychology Department, Halle University, Germany
| | - O Granert
- Dept. of Neurology, Memory Disorder and Plasticity Group, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - R Yilmaz
- Dept. of Neurology, University of Ankara, Medical School, Ankara, Turkey
| | - U Jensen-Kondering
- Dept. of Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany; Dept. of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany
| | - M Splittgerber
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Germany
| | - V Moliadze
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Germany
| | - M Siniatchkin
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Germany; Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center Bethel, University Clinics OWL, Bielefeld University, Germany
| | - D Berg
- Dept. of Neurology, Memory Disorder and Plasticity Group, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - T Bartsch
- Dept. of Neurology, Memory Disorder and Plasticity Group, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany.
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Viganò S, Bayramova R, Doeller CF, Bottini R. Mental search of concepts is supported by egocentric vector representations and restructured grid maps. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8132. [PMID: 38065931 PMCID: PMC10709434 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43831-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The human hippocampal-entorhinal system is known to represent both spatial locations and abstract concepts in memory in the form of allocentric cognitive maps. Using fMRI, we show that the human parietal cortex evokes complementary egocentric representations in conceptual spaces during goal-directed mental search, akin to those observable during physical navigation to determine where a goal is located relative to oneself (e.g., to our left or to our right). Concurrently, the strength of the grid-like signal, a neural signature of allocentric cognitive maps in entorhinal, prefrontal, and parietal cortices, is modulated as a function of goal proximity in conceptual space. These brain mechanisms might support flexible and parallel readout of where target conceptual information is stored in memory, capitalizing on complementary reference frames.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Viganò
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
| | - Rena Bayramova
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian F Doeller
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, Jebsen Centre for Alzheimer's Disease, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roberto Bottini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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Simmons CM, Moseley SC, Ogg JD, Zhou X, Johnson M, Wu W, Clark BJ, Wilber AA. A thalamo-parietal cortex circuit is critical for place-action coordination. Hippocampus 2023; 33:1252-1266. [PMID: 37811797 PMCID: PMC10872801 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The anterior and lateral thalamus (ALT) contains head direction cells that signal the directional orientation of an individual within the environment. ALT has direct and indirect connections with the parietal cortex (PC), an area hypothesized to play a role in coordinating viewer-dependent and viewer-independent spatial reference frames. This coordination between reference frames would allow an individual to translate movements toward a desired location from memory. Thus, ALT-PC functional connectivity would be critical for moving toward remembered allocentric locations. This hypothesis was tested in rats with a place-action task that requires associating an appropriate action (left or right turn) with a spatial location. There are four arms, each offset by 90°, positioned around a central starting point. A trial begins in the central starting point. After exiting a pseudorandomly selected arm, the rat had to displace the correct object covering one of two (left versus right) feeding stations to receive a reward. For a pair of arms facing opposite directions, the reward was located on the left, and for the other pair, the reward was located on the right. Thus, each reward location had a different combination of allocentric location and egocentric action. Removal of an object was scored as correct or incorrect. Trials in which the rat did not displace any objects were scored as "no selection" trials. After an object was removed, the rat returned to the center starting position and the maze was reset for the next trial. To investigate the role of the ALT-PC network, muscimol inactivation infusions targeted bilateral PC, bilateral ALT, or the ALT-PC network. Muscimol sessions were counterbalanced and compared to saline sessions within the same animal. All inactivations resulted in decreased accuracy, but only bilateral PC inactivations resulted in increased non selecting, increased errors, and longer latency responses on the remaining trials. Thus, the ALT-PC circuit is critical for linking an action with a spatial location for successful navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Simmons
- Department of Psychology, Program of Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Shawn C Moseley
- Department of Psychology, Program of Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Jordan D Ogg
- Department of Psychology, Program of Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Xinyu Zhou
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Madeline Johnson
- Department of Psychology, Program of Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Wei Wu
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Benjamin J Clark
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Aaron A Wilber
- Department of Psychology, Program of Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
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Bernardo M, Blandin Y, Casiez G, Scotto CR. Use of variable online visual feedback to optimize sensorimotor coding and learning of a motor sequence. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294138. [PMID: 38011094 PMCID: PMC10681220 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study characterized the impact of reliable and/or unreliable online visual feedback and their order of presentation on the coding and learning of a motor sequence. Participants practiced a 12-element motor sequence 200 times. During this acquisition phase, two groups received a single type (i.e., either reliable or unreliable) of online visual feedback, two other groups encountered both types of feedback: either reliable first then unreliable, or unreliable first then reliable. Delayed retention tests and intermanual transfer tests (visuospatial and motor) were administered 24 hours later. Results showed that varying the reliability of online visual information during the acquisition phase allowed participants to use different task coding modalities without damaging their long-term sequence learning. Moreover, starting with reliable visual feedback, replaced halfway through with unreliable feedback promoted motor coding, which is seldom observed. This optimization of motor coding opens up interesting perspectives, as it is known to promote better learning of motor sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Bernardo
- Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Université de Poitiers, Université de Tours, CNRS, Poitiers, France
| | - Yannick Blandin
- Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Université de Poitiers, Université de Tours, CNRS, Poitiers, France
| | - Géry Casiez
- Université de Lille, CNRS, Inria, Centrale Lille, UMR 9189 CRIStAL, Lille, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Cécile R. Scotto
- Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Université de Poitiers, Université de Tours, CNRS, Poitiers, France
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Berdugo‐Vega G, Dhingra S, Calegari F. Sharpening the blades of the dentate gyrus: how adult-born neurons differentially modulate diverse aspects of hippocampal learning and memory. EMBO J 2023; 42:e113524. [PMID: 37743770 PMCID: PMC11059975 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2023113524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
For decades, the mammalian hippocampus has been the focus of cellular, anatomical, behavioral, and computational studies aimed at understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying cognition. Long recognized as the brain's seat for learning and memory, a wealth of knowledge has been accumulated on how the hippocampus processes sensory input, builds complex associations between objects, events, and space, and stores this information in the form of memories to be retrieved later in life. However, despite major efforts, our understanding of hippocampal cognitive function remains fragmentary, and models trying to explain it are continually revisited. Here, we review the literature across all above-mentioned domains and offer a new perspective by bringing attention to the most distinctive, and generally neglected, feature of the mammalian hippocampal formation, namely, the structural separability of the two blades of the dentate gyrus into "supra-pyramidal" and "infra-pyramidal". Next, we discuss recent reports supporting differential effects of adult neurogenesis in the regulation of mature granule cell activity in these two blades. We propose a model for how differences in connectivity and adult neurogenesis in the two blades can potentially provide a substrate for subtly different cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Berdugo‐Vega
- CRTD‐Center for Regenerative Therapies DresdenTechnische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
- Present address:
Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Shonali Dhingra
- CRTD‐Center for Regenerative Therapies DresdenTechnische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Federico Calegari
- CRTD‐Center for Regenerative Therapies DresdenTechnische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
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37
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Burles F, Iaria G. Neurocognitive Adaptations for Spatial Orientation and Navigation in Astronauts. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1592. [PMID: 38002551 PMCID: PMC10669796 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13111592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Astronauts often face orientation challenges while on orbit, which can lead to operator errors in demanding spatial tasks. In this study, we investigated the impact of long-duration spaceflight on the neural processes supporting astronauts' spatial orientation skills. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we collected data from 16 astronauts six months before and two weeks after their International Space Station (ISS) missions while performing a spatial orientation task that requires generating a mental representation of one's surroundings. During this task, astronauts exhibited a general reduction in neural activity evoked from spatial-processing brain regions after spaceflight. The neural activity evoked in the precuneus was most saliently reduced following spaceflight, along with less powerful effects observed in the angular gyrus and retrosplenial regions of the brain. Importantly, the reduction in precuneus activity we identified was not accounted for by changes in behavioral performance or changes in grey matter concentration. These findings overall show less engagement of explicitly spatial neurological processes at postflight, suggesting astronauts make use of complementary strategies to perform some spatial tasks as an adaptation to spaceflight. These preliminary findings highlight the need for developing countermeasures or procedures that minimize the detrimental effects of spaceflight on spatial cognition, especially in light of planned long-distance future missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ford Burles
- Canadian Space Health Research Network, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
- NeuroLab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Iaria
- Canadian Space Health Research Network, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
- NeuroLab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
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38
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Iggena D, Jeung S, Maier PM, Ploner CJ, Gramann K, Finke C. Multisensory input modulates memory-guided spatial navigation in humans. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1167. [PMID: 37963986 PMCID: PMC10646091 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05522-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient navigation is supported by a cognitive map of space. The hippocampus plays a key role for this map by linking multimodal sensory information with spatial memory representations. However, in human navigation studies, the full range of sensory information is often unavailable due to the stationarity of experimental setups. We investigated the contribution of multisensory information to memory-guided spatial navigation by presenting a virtual version of the Morris water maze on a screen and in an immersive mobile virtual reality setup. Patients with hippocampal lesions and matched controls navigated to memorized object locations in relation to surrounding landmarks. Our results show that availability of multisensory input improves memory-guided spatial navigation in both groups. It has distinct effects on navigational behaviour, with greater improvement in spatial memory performance in patients. We conclude that congruent multisensory information shifts computations to extrahippocampal areas that support spatial navigation and compensates for spatial navigation deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deetje Iggena
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Sein Jeung
- Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Biological Psychology and Neuroergonomics, Fasanenstraße 1, 10623, Berlin, Germany
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Olav Kyrres gate 9,7030, Trondheim, Norway
- Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Patrizia M Maier
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph J Ploner
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus Gramann
- Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Biological Psychology and Neuroergonomics, Fasanenstraße 1, 10623, Berlin, Germany
- University of California, San Diego, Center for Advanced Neurological Engineering, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Carsten Finke
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
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39
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Moon HJ, Wu HP, De Falco E, Blanke O. Physical Body Orientation Impacts Virtual Navigation Experience and Performance. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0218-23.2023. [PMID: 37932043 PMCID: PMC10683533 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0218-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Most human navigation studies in MRI rely on virtual navigation. However, the necessary supine position in MRI makes it fundamentally different from daily ecological navigation. Nonetheless, until now, no study has assessed whether differences in physical body orientation (BO) affect participants' experienced BO during virtual navigation. Here, combining an immersive virtual reality navigation task with subjective BO measures and implicit behavioral measures, we demonstrate that physical BO (either standing or supine) modulates experienced BO. Also, we show that standing upright BO is preferred during spatial navigation: participants were more likely to experience a standing BO and were better at spatial navigation when standing upright. Importantly, we report that showing a supine virtual agent reduces the conflict between the preferred BO and physical supine BO. Our study provides critical, but missing, information regarding experienced BO during virtual navigation, which should be considered cautiously when designing navigation studies, especially in MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyuk-June Moon
- Neuro-X Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Bionics Research Center, Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, South Korea
| | - Hsin-Ping Wu
- Neuro-X Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emanuela De Falco
- Neuro-X Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Olaf Blanke
- Neuro-X Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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40
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Moraresku S, Hammer J, Janca R, Jezdik P, Kalina A, Marusic P, Vlcek K. Timing of Allocentric and Egocentric Spatial Processing in Human Intracranial EEG. Brain Topogr 2023; 36:870-889. [PMID: 37474691 PMCID: PMC10522529 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00989-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Spatial reference frames (RFs) play a key role in spatial cognition, especially in perception, spatial memory, and navigation. There are two main types of RFs: egocentric (self-centered) and allocentric (object-centered). Although many fMRI studies examined the neural correlates of egocentric and allocentric RFs, they could not sample the fast temporal dynamics of the underlying cognitive processes. Therefore, the interaction and timing between these two RFs remain unclear. Taking advantage of the high temporal resolution of intracranial EEG (iEEG), we aimed to determine the timing of egocentric and allocentric information processing and describe the brain areas involved. We recorded iEEG and analyzed broad gamma activity (50-150 Hz) in 37 epilepsy patients performing a spatial judgment task in a three-dimensional circular virtual arena. We found overlapping activation for egocentric and allocentric RFs in many brain regions, with several additional egocentric- and allocentric-selective areas. In contrast to the egocentric responses, the allocentric responses peaked later than the control ones in frontal regions with overlapping selectivity. Also, across several egocentric or allocentric selective areas, the egocentric selectivity appeared earlier than the allocentric one. We identified the maximum number of egocentric-selective channels in the medial occipito-temporal region and allocentric-selective channels around the intraparietal sulcus in the parietal cortex. Our findings favor the hypothesis that egocentric spatial coding is a more primary process, and allocentric representations may be derived from egocentric ones. They also broaden the dominant view of the dorsal and ventral streams supporting egocentric and allocentric space coding, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofiia Moraresku
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czechia.
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.
| | - Jiri Hammer
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Radek Janca
- Department of Circuit Theory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petr Jezdik
- Department of Circuit Theory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czechia
| | - Adam Kalina
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petr Marusic
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Kamil Vlcek
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czechia.
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41
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Kulawiak M, Krajnik D, Czaplicka M, Dawidowicz A. A Web-GIS tool for diagnosing spatial orientation of young adults: design and evaluation of Geo-Survey. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18621. [PMID: 37903832 PMCID: PMC10616073 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45268-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial orientation is the effectiveness with which one is able to assess the mutual location of objects relative to a point of reference or a system of coordinates. Traditionally, this ability has been evaluated through field navigation tests, which do not take into account the prevailing influence of free online maps and virtual walks on a person's interpretation of space. In this context, this study presents a Web-GIS tool designed and developed to examine spatial orientation skills in the context of the used map type. The tool, named Geo-Survey, enables combination of survey questions with customized maps, providing users with a set of possible answer types. Moreover, using the unique concept of predefined answers, the tool attempts to automate the process of analysing research results. The tools' performance is evaluated via assessing the spatial orientation skills of a group of young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Kulawiak
- Department of Geoinformatics, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunication and Informatics, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Dominik Krajnik
- Department of Geoinformatics, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunication and Informatics, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Marta Czaplicka
- Institute of Spatial Management and Geography, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Dawidowicz
- Institute of Spatial Management and Geography, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
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42
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Nissim Y, Simon E. Divided Village, Divided Identity? Exploring the Professional Identity of Teachers Amid the Geopolitical Configuration in Al-Ghajar. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:878. [PMID: 37998625 PMCID: PMC10669424 DOI: 10.3390/bs13110878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
This quantitative research is based on a validated research questionnaire. It presents a preliminary exploratory study examining perspectives of professional identity as reflected in self-reports of the teachers of Al-Ghajar, a village on Israel's northern border, given its unique geographical and geopolitical configuration. The current study is the first of its kind, clarifying the teachers' perception of their professional identity in the unique space in which they live and work via a questionnaire completed by 61 teachers of both genders from kindergarten through high school. The findings show that there are strong positive correlations: "love for the profession" and "self-fulfillment" have a very strong positive correlation (0.831). There is also a positive correlation (0.430) between the indicators of "professional skills" and "professional unity" suggesting that the teachers' perceptions of professional identity are holistic in all examined dimensions. These perceptions are motivated by a strong sense of mission that influences their profession and their sense of satisfaction. Al-Ghajar, as a unique enclave, has created a geopolitical configuration that contributes to the construction of the professional identity of teachers in the village. The research conclusion indicates that the ability to legitimize one's role has important implications for the quality of teaching, as it can help teachers form familiar, affiliated, and secure identities. These are key traits since a positive sense of professional self is a prerequisite for job satisfaction and resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonit Nissim
- Department of Education and Learning, Tel Hai College, Qiryat Shemona 1220800, Israel;
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43
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Mecklinger A, Kamp SM. Observing memory encoding while it unfolds: Functional interpretation and current debates regarding ERP subsequent memory effects. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105347. [PMID: 37543177 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Our ability to remember the past depends on neural processes set in train in the moment an event is experienced. These processes can be studied by segregating brain activity according to whether an event is later remembered or forgotten. The present review integrates a large number of studies examining this differential brain activity, labeled subsequent memory effect (SME), with the ERP technique, into a functional organization and discusses routes for further research. Based on the reviewed literature, we suggest that memory encoding is implemented by multiple processes, typically reflected in three functionally different subcomponents of the ERP SME elicited by study stimuli, which presumably interact with preparatory SME activity preceding the to be encoded event. We argue that ERPs are a valuable method in the SME paradigm because they have a sufficiently high temporal resolution to disclose the subcomponents of encoding-related brain activity. Implications of the proposed functional organization for future studies using the SME procedure in basic and applied settings will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Mecklinger
- Experimental Neuropsychology Unit, Saarland University, Campus A 2-4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | - Siri-Maria Kamp
- Neurocognitive Psychology Unit, Universität Trier, Johanniterufer 15, 54290 Trier, Germany
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44
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Burkhardt M, Bergelt J, Gönner L, Dinkelbach HÜ, Beuth F, Schwarz A, Bicanski A, Burgess N, Hamker FH. A large-scale neurocomputational model of spatial cognition integrating memory with vision. Neural Netw 2023; 167:473-488. [PMID: 37688954 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2023.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a large-scale neurocomputational model of spatial cognition called 'Spacecog', which integrates recent findings from mechanistic models of visual and spatial perception. As a high-level cognitive ability, spatial cognition requires the processing of behaviourally relevant features in complex environments and, importantly, the updating of this information during processes of eye and body movement. The Spacecog model achieves this by interfacing spatial memory and imagery with mechanisms of object localisation, saccade execution, and attention through coordinate transformations in parietal areas of the brain. We evaluate the model in a realistic virtual environment where our neurocognitive model steers an agent to perform complex visuospatial tasks. Our modelling approach opens up new possibilities in the assessment of neuropsychological data and human spatial cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julia Bergelt
- Chemnitz University of Technology, 09107, Chemnitz Germany.
| | - Lorenz Gönner
- Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Psychology, 01062, Dresden Germany; Technische Universität Dresden, Department of Psychiatry, 01307, Dresden Germany.
| | | | - Frederik Beuth
- Chemnitz University of Technology, 09107, Chemnitz Germany.
| | - Alex Schwarz
- Chemnitz University of Technology, 09107, Chemnitz Germany.
| | - Andrej Bicanski
- Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom.
| | - Neil Burgess
- University College London, WC1E 6BT, London United Kingdom.
| | - Fred H Hamker
- Chemnitz University of Technology, 09107, Chemnitz Germany.
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45
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Kim JS, Lee SA. Hippocampal orchestration of associative and sequential memory networks for episodic retrieval. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112989. [PMID: 37581985 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Episodic memory involves the recollection of contextual details replayed mentally across time. Here, we propose the association-sequence network (ASN) model, characterizing complementary cortico-hippocampal networks underlying the retrieval of simultaneously associated and sequentially ordered events. Participants viewed objects, presented singly or in pairs, and later reported whether two objects were shown simultaneously, consecutively, or farther apart in time. Behavioral results and hippocampal activation reveal a correlation between the two sequential conditions but not the simultaneous condition, despite the temporal proximity of consecutive pairs. We also find that anterior hippocampal activity is modulated by temporal distance. Distinct cortical networks are engaged during simultaneous and sequential memory (prefrontal cortex and angular gyrus for association; supplementary motor cortex and precuneus for sequence); notably, these regions show differential connectivity with the hippocampus. The ASN model provides a comprehensive framework for how we reconstruct memories that are both rich in associative detail and temporally dynamic in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Sun Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Sang Ah Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
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46
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Lian Y, Williams S, Alexander AS, Hasselmo ME, Burkitt AN. Learning the Vector Coding of Egocentric Boundary Cells from Visual Data. J Neurosci 2023; 43:5180-5190. [PMID: 37286350 PMCID: PMC10342228 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1071-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of spatial maps to navigate through the world requires a complex ongoing transformation of egocentric views of the environment into position within the allocentric map. Recent research has discovered neurons in retrosplenial cortex and other structures that could mediate the transformation from egocentric views to allocentric views. These egocentric boundary cells respond to the egocentric direction and distance of barriers relative to an animal's point of view. This egocentric coding based on the visual features of barriers would seem to require complex dynamics of cortical interactions. However, computational models presented here show that egocentric boundary cells can be generated with a remarkably simple synaptic learning rule that forms a sparse representation of visual input as an animal explores the environment. Simulation of this simple sparse synaptic modification generates a population of egocentric boundary cells with distributions of direction and distance coding that strikingly resemble those observed within the retrosplenial cortex. Furthermore, some egocentric boundary cells learnt by the model can still function in new environments without retraining. This provides a framework for understanding the properties of neuronal populations in the retrosplenial cortex that may be essential for interfacing egocentric sensory information with allocentric spatial maps of the world formed by neurons in downstream areas, including the grid cells in entorhinal cortex and place cells in the hippocampus.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The computational model presented here demonstrates that the recently discovered egocentric boundary cells in retrosplenial cortex can be generated with a remarkably simple synaptic learning rule that forms a sparse representation of visual input as an animal explores the environment. Additionally, our model generates a population of egocentric boundary cells with distributions of direction and distance coding that strikingly resemble those observed within the retrosplenial cortex. This transformation between sensory input and egocentric representation in the navigational system could have implications for the way in which egocentric and allocentric representations interface in other brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanbo Lian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Simon Williams
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Andrew S Alexander
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Michael E Hasselmo
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Anthony N Burkitt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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47
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Cantarella G, Mastroberardino S, Bisiacchi P, Macaluso E. Prospective memory: the combined impact of cognitive load and task focality. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1425-1441. [PMID: 37356055 PMCID: PMC10335960 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02658-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Prospective Memory (PM) entails a set of executive processes primarily associated with the activation of frontal and parietal regions. Both the number of PM-targets to be monitored (i.e. task load) and the relationship between the type of PM-targets and the ongoing (ONG) task (i.e. task focality) can impact executive monitoring and PM performance. In the present imaging study, we manipulated load and focality of an event-based PM task to test the hypothesis that common resources engage in situations requiring high levels of cognitive control: that is, in high-load (i.e. monitor multiple PM-targets) and non-focal conditions (i.e. monitor at the same time letters' identity and color). We investigated monitoring-related and detection-related processes by assessing behavior and brain activity separately for ONG trials (monitoring) and PM-targets (detection). At the behavioral level, we found a significant interaction between load and focality during detection, with slowest reaction times for focal, high-load PM-targets. The imaging analyses of the detection phase revealed the activation of the left intraparietal sulcus in the high-load conditions. Both in the monitoring and the detection phases, we found overlapping effects of non-focality and low-load in the fusiform gyrus. Our results suggest that under low-load conditions, cognitive control operates via early selection mechanisms in the ventral occipito-temporal cortex. By contrast, high-load conditions entail control at later processing stages within the dorsal parietal cortex. We conclude that load and focality operate via different mechanisms, with the level of task load largely determining how cognitive control selects the most relevant information.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Cantarella
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat, 5, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia, 8, 35131, Padua, Italy.
| | - S Mastroberardino
- Department of Human and Educational Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - P Bisiacchi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia, 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Padua, Italy
| | - E Macaluso
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, IMPACT, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, 69500, Bron, France
- NeuroImaging Laboratory, Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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48
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Tomás DJ, Nascimento Alves P, Vânia Silva-Nunes M. Spatial orientation: A relationship with inferential memory. Brain Cogn 2023; 170:106059. [PMID: 37392702 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2023.106059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Two branches of the scientific literature have dominated our understanding of hippocampal function. One focuses on the support this structure offers to declarative memory, while the other views the hippocampus as a part of a system dedicated to spatial navigation. These two different visions can be reconciled in relational theory, which suggests that the hippocampus processes all kinds of associations and sequences of events. According to this, processing would be similar to a route calculation based on associations of spatial information acquired during navigation and the associative relationship established between memories without spatial content. In this paper, we present a behavioral study of healthy individuals to explore the performance of inferential memory tasks and spatial orientation tasks in a virtual environment. Inferential memory and spatial orientation task performances were positively correlated. However, after controlling for a non-inferential memory task, only the correlation between allocentric spatial orientation and inferential memory remained significant. These results provide support for the similarity between the two cognitive functions, lending credence to the relational theory of the hippocampus. Additionally, our behavioral findings are in line with the cognitive map theory, which suggests a potential association between the hippocampus and allocentric spatial representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo João Tomás
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Institute of Health Sciences - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Lisbon, Portugal; Escola Superior de Saúde Atlântica, Barcarena, Portugal.
| | - Pedro Nascimento Alves
- Laboratório de Estudos de Linguagem, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Serviço de Neurologia, Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Vânia Silva-Nunes
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Institute of Health Sciences - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Lisbon, Portugal
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Saleem AB, Busse L. Interactions between rodent visual and spatial systems during navigation. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023:10.1038/s41583-023-00716-7. [PMID: 37380885 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00716-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Many behaviours that are critical for animals to survive and thrive rely on spatial navigation. Spatial navigation, in turn, relies on internal representations about one's spatial location, one's orientation or heading direction and the distance to objects in the environment. Although the importance of vision in guiding such internal representations has long been recognized, emerging evidence suggests that spatial signals can also modulate neural responses in the central visual pathway. Here, we review the bidirectional influences between visual and navigational signals in the rodent brain. Specifically, we discuss reciprocal interactions between vision and the internal representations of spatial position, explore the effects of vision on representations of an animal's heading direction and vice versa, and examine how the visual and navigational systems work together to assess the relative distances of objects and other features. Throughout, we consider how technological advances and novel ethological paradigms that probe rodent visuo-spatial behaviours allow us to advance our understanding of how brain areas of the central visual pathway and the spatial systems interact and enable complex behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aman B Saleem
- UCL Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Laura Busse
- Division of Neuroscience, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience Munich, Munich, Germany.
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50
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Borodaeva Z, Winkler S, Brade J, Klimant P, Jahn G. Spatial updating in virtual reality for reproducing object locations in vista space-Boundaries, landmarks, and idiothetic cues. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1144861. [PMID: 37425154 PMCID: PMC10325663 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1144861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Keeping track of locations across self-motion is possible by continuously updating spatial representations or by encoding and later instantaneously retrieving spatial representations. In virtual reality (VR), sensory cues to self-motion used in continuous updating are typically reduced. In passive translation compared to real walking in VR, optic flow is available but body-based (idiothetic) cues are missing. With both kinds of translation, boundaries and landmarks as static visual cues can be used for instantaneous updating. In two experiments, we let participants encode two target locations, one of which had to be reproduced by pointing after forward translation in immersive VR (HMD). We increased sensory cues to self-motion in comparison to passive translation either by strengthening optic flow or by real walking. Furthermore, we varied static visual cues in the form of boundaries and landmarks inside boundaries. Increased optic flow and real walking did not reliably increase performance suggesting that optic flow even in a sparse environment was sufficient for continuous updating or that merely instantaneous updating took place. Boundaries and landmarks, however, did support performance as quantified by decreased bias and increased precision, particularly if they were close to or even enclosed target locations. Thus, enriched spatial context is a viable method to support spatial updating in VR and synthetic environments (teleoperation). Spatial context does not only provide a static visual reference in offline updating and continuous allocentric self-location updating but also, according to recent neuroscientific evidence on egocentric bearing cells, contributes to continuous egocentric location updating as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanna Borodaeva
- Applied Geropsychology and Cognition, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Sven Winkler
- Production Systems and Processes, Institute for Machine Tools and Production Processes, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Jennifer Brade
- Production Systems and Processes, Institute for Machine Tools and Production Processes, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Philipp Klimant
- Production Systems and Processes, Institute for Machine Tools and Production Processes, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Georg Jahn
- Applied Geropsychology and Cognition, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
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