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Sekeres MJ, Schomaker J, Nadel L, Tse D. To update or to create? The influence of novelty and prior knowledge on memory networks. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230238. [PMID: 38853571 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Schemas are foundational mental structures shaped by experience. They influence behaviour, guide the encoding of new memories and are shaped by associated information. The adaptability of memory schemas facilitates the integration of new information that aligns with existing knowledge structures. First, we discuss how novel information consistent with an existing schema can be swiftly assimilated when presented. This cognitive updating is facilitated by the interaction between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Second, when novel information is inconsistent with the schema, it likely engages the hippocampus to encode the information as part of an episodic memory trace. Third, novelty may enhance hippocampal dopamine through either the locus coeruleus or ventral tegmental area pathways, with the pathway involved potentially depending on the type of novelty encountered. We propose a gradient theory of schema and novelty to elucidate the neural processes by which schema updating or novel memory traces are formed. It is likely that experiences vary along a familiarity-novelty continuum, and the degree to which new experiences are increasingly novel will guide whether memory for a new experience either integrates into an existing schema or prompts the creation of a new cognitive framework. This article is part of the theme issue 'Long-term potentiation: 50 years on'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie J Sekeres
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa , Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Judith Schomaker
- Health, Medical & Neuropsychology, Leiden University , Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition , Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lynn Nadel
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Dorothy Tse
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University , Ormskirk L39 4QP, UK
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2
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Levi A, Aviv N, Stark E. Learning to learn: Single session acquisition of new rules by freely moving mice. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae203. [PMID: 38818240 PMCID: PMC11138122 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Learning from examples and adapting to new circumstances are fundamental attributes of human cognition. However, it is unclear what conditions allow for fast and successful learning, especially in nonhuman subjects. To determine how rapidly freely moving mice can learn a new discrimination criterion (DC), we design a two-alternative forced-choice visual discrimination paradigm in which the DCs governing the task can change between sessions. We find that experienced animals can learn a new DC after being exposed to only five training and three testing trials. The propensity for single session learning improves over time and is accurately predicted based on animal experience and criterion difficulty. After establishing the procedural learning of a paradigm, mice continuously improve their performance in new circumstances. Thus, mice learn to learn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Levi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Noam Aviv
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Eran Stark
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Haifa University, Haifa 3103301, Israel
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3
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Yang L, Liu W, Shi L, Wu J, Zhang W, Chuang YA, Redding-Ochoa J, Kirkwood A, Savonenko AV, Worley PF. NMDA Receptor-Arc Signaling Is Required for Memory Updating and Is Disrupted in Alzheimer's Disease. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:706-720. [PMID: 36796600 PMCID: PMC10423741 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Memory deficits are central to many neuropsychiatric diseases. During acquisition of new information, memories can become vulnerable to interference, yet mechanisms that underlie interference are unknown. METHODS We describe a novel transduction pathway that links the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) to AKT signaling via the immediate early gene Arc and evaluate its role in memory. The signaling pathway is validated using biochemical tools and transgenic mice, and function is evaluated in assays of synaptic plasticity and behavior. The translational relevance is evaluated in human postmortem brain. RESULTS Arc is dynamically phosphorylated by CaMKII (calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) and binds the NMDAR subunits NR2A/NR2B and a previously unstudied PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) adapter p55PIK (PIK3R3) in vivo in response to novelty or tetanic stimulation in acute slices. NMDAR-Arc-p55PIK recruits p110α PI3K and mTORC2 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2) to activate AKT. NMDAR-Arc-p55PIK-PI3K-mTORC2-AKT assembly occurs within minutes of exploratory behavior and localizes to sparse synapses throughout hippocampal and cortical regions. Studies using conditional (Nestin-Cre) p55PIK deletion mice indicate that NMDAR-Arc-p55PIK-PI3K-mTORC2-AKT functions to inhibit GSK3 and mediates input-specific metaplasticity that protects potentiated synapses from subsequent depotentiation. p55PIK conditional knockout mice perform normally in multiple behaviors including working memory and long-term memory tasks but exhibit deficits indicative of increased vulnerability to interference in both short-term and long-term paradigms. The NMDAR-AKT transduction complex is reduced in postmortem brain of individuals with early Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSIONS A novel function of Arc mediates synapse-specific NMDAR-AKT signaling and metaplasticity that contributes to memory updating and is disrupted in human cognitive disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuqing Yang
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Wenxue Liu
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Linyuan Shi
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jing Wu
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Wenchi Zhang
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Yang-An Chuang
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Javier Redding-Ochoa
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alfredo Kirkwood
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alena V Savonenko
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
| | - Paul F Worley
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
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4
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Theunissen WWES, Van der Steen MC, Van Veen MR, Van Douveren FQMP, Witlox MA, Tolk JJ. Strategies to optimize the information provision for parents of children with developmental dysplasia of the hip. Bone Jt Open 2023; 4:496-506. [PMID: 37402475 DOI: 10.1302/2633-1462.47.bjo-2023-0072.r1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims The aim of this study was to identify the information topics that should be addressed according to the parents of children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in the diagnostic and treatment phase during the first year of life. Second, we explored parental recommendations to further optimize the information provision in DDH care. Methods A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted between September and December 2020. A purposive sample of parents of children aged younger than one year, who were treated for DDH with a Pavlik harness, were interviewed until data saturation was achieved. A total of 20 interviews with 22 parents were conducted. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, independently reviewed, and coded into categories and themes. Results Interviews revealed four fundamental information topics that should be addressed in the different phases of the DDH healthcare trajectory: general information (screening phase), patient-specific information (diagnostic and treatment phase), practical information (treatment phase), and future perspectives (treatment and follow-up phase). To further optimize the information provision in DDH care, parents wished for more accessible and trustworthy general information prior to the first hospital visit to be better prepared for the diagnosis. Furthermore, parents wanted more personalized and visually supported information for a better understanding of the nature of the disease and the reason for treatment. Conclusion This study offers novel insights to optimize the information provision in DDH care. The main finding is the shift in information need from general information in the screening phase to patient-specific information in the diagnostic and treatment phase of DDH. Parents prefer visually-supported information, provided in a timely fashion, and tailored to their child's situation. These recommendations potentially decrease parental anxiety, insecurity, confusion, and increase parental empowerment and treatment adherence throughout the diagnostic and treatment phase of DDH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley W E S Theunissen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Trauma, Máxima Medical Centre, Veldhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Marieke C Van der Steen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Trauma, Máxima Medical Centre, Veldhoven, the Netherlands
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Trauma, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Merel R Van Veen
- Board member Dutch hip patient association Vereniging Afwijkende Heupontwikkeling, Nijkerk, the Netherlands
| | | | - M A Witlox
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Trauma, Máxima Medical Centre, Veldhoven, the Netherlands
- Departement of Orthopaedic Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Jaap J Tolk
- Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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5
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Guo D, Chen G, Yang J. Effects of schema on the relationship between post-encoding brain connectivity and subsequent durable memory. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8736. [PMID: 37253795 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34822-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Schemas can facilitate memory consolidation. Studies have suggested that interactions between the hippocampus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are important for schema-related memory consolidation. However, in humans, how schema accelerates the consolidation of new information and relates to durable memory remains unclear. To address these knowledge gaps, we used a human analogue of the rodent spatial schema task and resting-state fMRI to investigate how post-encoding brain networks can predict long-term memory performance in different schema conditions. After participants were trained to obtain schema-consistent or schema-inconsistent object-location associations, they learned new object-location associations. The new associations were tested after the post-encoding rest in the scanner and 24 h later outside the scanner. The Bayesian multilevel modelling was applied to analyse the post-encoding brain networks. The results showed that during the post-encoding, stronger vmPFC- anterior hippocampal connectivity was associated with durable memory in the schema-consistent condition, whereas stronger object-selective lateral occipital cortex (LOC)-ventromedial prefrontal connectivity and weaker connectivity inside the default mode network were associated with durable memory in the schema inconsistent condition. In addition, stronger LOC-anterior hippocampal connectivity was associated with memory in both schema conditions. These results shed light on how schemas reconfigure early brain networks, especially the prefrontal-hippocampal and stimuli-relevant cortical networks and influence long-term memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingrong Guo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behaviour and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Chen
- Scientific and Statistical Computing Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jiongjiong Yang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behaviour and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China.
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6
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Abstract
A schema refers to a structured body of prior knowledge that captures common patterns across related experiences. Schemas have been studied separately in the realms of episodic memory and spatial navigation across different species and have been grounded in theories of memory consolidation, but there has been little attempt to integrate our understanding across domains, particularly in humans. We propose that experiences during navigation with many similarly structured environments give rise to the formation of spatial schemas (for example, the expected layout of modern cities) that share properties with but are distinct from cognitive maps (for example, the memory of a modern city) and event schemas (such as expected events in a modern city) at both cognitive and neural levels. We describe earlier theoretical frameworks and empirical findings relevant to spatial schemas, along with more targeted investigations of spatial schemas in human and non-human animals. Consideration of architecture and urban analytics, including the influence of scale and regionalization, on different properties of spatial schemas may provide a powerful approach to advance our understanding of spatial schemas.
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7
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Guo D, Yang J. Reactivation of schema representation in lateral occipital cortex supports successful memory encoding. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5968-5980. [PMID: 36520467 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Schemas provide a scaffold onto which we can integrate new memories. Previous research has investigated the brain activity and connectivity underlying schema-related memory formation. However, how schemas are represented and reactivated in the brain, in order to enhance memory, remains unclear. To address this issue, we used an object–location spatial schema that was learned over multiple sessions, combined with similarity analyses of neural representations, to investigate the reactivation of schema representations of object–location memories when a new object–scene association is learned. In addition, we investigated how this reactivation affects subsequent memory performance under different strengths of schemas. We found that reactivation of a schema representation in the lateral occipital cortex (LOC) during object–scene encoding affected subsequent associative memory performance only in the schema-consistent condition and increased the functional connectivity between the LOC and the parahippocampal place area. Taken together, our findings provide new insight into how schema acts as a scaffold to support the integration of novel information into existing cortical networks and suggest a neural basis for schema-induced rapid cortical learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingrong Guo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behaviour and Mental Health, Peking University , 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jiongjiong Yang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behaviour and Mental Health, Peking University , 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing 100871, China
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8
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Harkotte M, Contreras MP, Inostroza M, Born J. Effects of Information Load on Schema and Episodic Memory Formation. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:923713. [PMID: 35903219 PMCID: PMC9315445 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.923713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of semantic memories is assumed to result from the abstraction of general, schema-like knowledge across multiple experiences, while at the same time, episodic details from individual experiences are forgotten. Against this backdrop, our study examined the effects of information load (high vs. low) during encoding on the formation of episodic and schema memory using an elaborated version of an object-place recognition (OPR) task in rats. The task allowed for the abstraction of a spatial rule across four (low information load) or eight (high information load) encoding episodes (spaced apart by a 20 min interval) in which the rats could freely explore two objects in an open field arena. After this encoding phase, animals were left undisturbed for 24 h and then tested either for the expression of schema memory, i.e., for the spatial rule, or memory for an individual encoding episode. Rats in the high information load condition exhibited a more robust schema memory for the spatial rule than in the low information load condition. In contrast, rats in the low load condition showed more robust memory for individual learning episodes than in the high information load condition. Our findings of opposing effects might point to an information-load-dependent competitive relationship between processes of schema and episodic memory formation, although other explanations are possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Harkotte
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, Tübingen, Germany
| | - María P. Contreras
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marion Inostroza
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jan Born
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen (IDM), Tübingen, Germany
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Jan Born
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9
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Balcerek E, Włodkowska U, Czajkowski R. Retrosplenial cortex in spatial memory: focus on immediate early genes mapping. Mol Brain 2021; 14:172. [PMID: 34863215 PMCID: PMC8642902 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-021-00880-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to form, retrieve and update autobiographical memories is one of the most fascinating features of human behavior. Spatial memory, the ability to remember the layout of the external environment and to navigate within its boundaries, is closely related to the autobiographical memory domain. It is served by an overlapping brain circuit, centered around the hippocampus (HPC) where the cognitive map index is stored. Apart from the hippocampus, several cortical structures participate in this process. Their relative contribution is a subject of intense research in both humans and animal models. One of the most widely studied regions is the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), an area in the parietal lobe densely interconnected with the hippocampal formation. Several methodological approaches have been established over decades in order to investigate the cortical aspects of memory. One of the most successful techniques is based on the analysis of brain expression patterns of the immediate early genes (IEGs). The common feature of this diverse group of genes is fast upregulation of their mRNA translation upon physiologically relevant stimulus. In the central nervous system they are rapidly triggered by neuronal activity and plasticity during learning. There is a widely accepted consensus that their expression level corresponds to the engagement of individual neurons in the formation of memory trace. Imaging of the IEGs might therefore provide a picture of an emerging memory engram. In this review we present the overview of IEG mapping studies of retrosplenial cortex in rodent models. We begin with classical techniques, immunohistochemical detection of protein and fluorescent in situ hybridization of mRNA. We then proceed to advanced methods where fluorescent genetically encoded IEG reporters are chronically followed in vivo during memory formation. We end with a combination of genetic IEG labelling and optogenetic approach, where the activity of the entire engram is manipulated. We finally present a hypothesis that attempts to unify our current state of knowledge about the function of RSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edyta Balcerek
- Laboratory of Spatial Memory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteura 3, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Urszula Włodkowska
- Laboratory of Spatial Memory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteura 3, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Rafał Czajkowski
- Laboratory of Spatial Memory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteura 3, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland.
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10
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Chung A, Jou C, Grau-Perales A, Levy E, Dvorak D, Hussain N, Fenton AA. Cognitive control persistently enhances hippocampal information processing. Nature 2021; 600:484-488. [PMID: 34759316 PMCID: PMC8872635 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04070-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Could learning that uses cognitive control to judiciously use relevant information while ignoring distractions generally improve brain function, beyond forming explicit memories? According to a neuroplasticity hypothesis for how some cognitive behavioural therapies are effective, cognitive control training (CCT) changes neural circuit information processing1-3. Here we investigated whether CCT persistently alters hippocampal neural circuit function. We show that mice learned and remembered a conditioned place avoidance during CCT that required ignoring irrelevant locations of shock. CCT facilitated learning new tasks in novel environments for several weeks, relative to unconditioned controls and control mice that avoided the same place during reduced distraction. CCT rapidly changes entorhinal cortex-to-dentate gyrus synaptic circuit function, resulting in an excitatory-inhibitory subcircuit change that persists for months. CCT increases inhibition that attenuates the dentate response to medial entorhinal cortical input, and through disinhibition, potentiates the response to strong inputs, pointing to overall signal-to-noise enhancement. These neurobiological findings support the neuroplasticity hypothesis that, as well as storing item-event associations, CCT persistently optimizes neural circuit information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ain Chung
- Center for Neural Science, New York University
| | - Claudia Jou
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York
| | | | - Eliott Levy
- Center for Neural Science, New York University
| | - Dino Dvorak
- Center for Neural Science, New York University
| | | | - André A. Fenton
- Center for Neural Science, New York University,Neuroscience Institute at the NYU Langone Medical Center
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11
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Vallianatou CA, Alonso A, Aleman AZ, Genzel L, Stella F. Learning-Induced Shifts in Mice Navigational Strategies Are Unveiled by a Minimal Behavioral Model of Spatial Exploration. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0553-20.2021. [PMID: 34330819 PMCID: PMC8489025 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0553-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Shifts in spatial patterns produced during the execution of a navigational task can be used to track the effects of the accumulation of knowledge and the acquisition of structured information about the environment. Here, we provide a quantitative analysis of mice behavior while performing a novel goal localization task in a large, modular arena, the HexMaze. To demonstrate the effects of different forms of previous knowledge we first obtain a precise statistical characterization of animals' paths with sub-trial resolution and over different phases of learning. The emergence of a flexible representation of the task is accompanied by a progressive improvement of performance, mediated by multiple, multiplexed time scales. We then use a generative mathematical model of the animal behavior to isolate the specific contributions to the final navigational strategy. We find that animal behavior can be accurately reproduced by the combined effect of a goal-oriented component, becoming stronger with the progression of learning, and of a random walk component, producing choices unrelated to the task and only partially weakened in time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alejandra Alonso
- Donders Institute for Behaviour and Cognition, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6500GL, The Netherlands
| | | | - Lisa Genzel
- Donders Institute for Behaviour and Cognition, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6500GL, The Netherlands
| | - Federico Stella
- Donders Institute for Behaviour and Cognition, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6500GL, The Netherlands
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12
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The HexMaze: A Previous Knowledge Task on Map Learning for Mice. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0554-20.2021. [PMID: 34135006 PMCID: PMC8362685 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0554-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
New information is rarely learned in isolation; instead, most of what we experience can be incorporated into or uses previous knowledge networks in some form. Previous knowledge in form of a cognitive map can facilitate knowledge acquisition and will influence how we learn new spatial information. Here, we developed a new spatial navigation task where food locations are learned in a large, gangway maze to test how mice learn a large spatial map over a longer time period—the HexMaze. Analyzing performance across sessions as well as on specific trials, we can show simple memory effects as well as multiple effects of previous knowledge of the map accelerating both online learning and performance increases over offline periods when incorporating new information. We could identify the following three main phases: (1) learning the initial goal location; (2) faster learning after 2 weeks when learning a new goal location; and then (3) the ability to express one-session learning, leading to long-term memory effect after 12 weeks. Importantly, we are the first to show that buildup of a spatial map is dependent on how much time passes, not how often the animal is trained.
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13
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Rosenberg M, Zhang T, Perona P, Meister M. Mice in a labyrinth show rapid learning, sudden insight, and efficient exploration. eLife 2021; 10:66175. [PMID: 34196271 PMCID: PMC8294850 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals learn certain complex tasks remarkably fast, sometimes after a single experience. What behavioral algorithms support this efficiency? Many contemporary studies based on two-alternative-forced-choice (2AFC) tasks observe only slow or incomplete learning. As an alternative, we study the unconstrained behavior of mice in a complex labyrinth and measure the dynamics of learning and the behaviors that enable it. A mouse in the labyrinth makes ~2000 navigation decisions per hour. The animal explores the maze, quickly discovers the location of a reward, and executes correct 10-bit choices after only 10 reward experiences — a learning rate 1000-fold higher than in 2AFC experiments. Many mice improve discontinuously from one minute to the next, suggesting moments of sudden insight about the structure of the labyrinth. The underlying search algorithm does not require a global memory of places visited and is largely explained by purely local turning rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Rosenberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Tony Zhang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Pietro Perona
- Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Markus Meister
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
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14
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Phillips JM, Kambi NA, Redinbaugh MJ, Mohanta S, Saalmann YB. Disentangling the influences of multiple thalamic nuclei on prefrontal cortex and cognitive control. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:487-510. [PMID: 34216654 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has a complex relationship with the thalamus, involving many nuclei which occupy predominantly medial zones along its anterior-to-posterior extent. Thalamocortical neurons in most of these nuclei are modulated by the affective and cognitive signals which funnel through the basal ganglia. We review how PFC-connected thalamic nuclei likely contribute to all aspects of cognitive control: from the processing of information on internal states and goals, facilitating its interactions with mnemonic information and learned values of stimuli and actions, to their influence on high-level cognitive processes, attentional allocation and goal-directed behavior. This includes contributions to transformations such as rule-to-choice (parvocellular mediodorsal nucleus), value-to-choice (magnocellular mediodorsal nucleus), mnemonic-to-choice (anteromedial nucleus) and sensory-to-choice (medial pulvinar). Common mechanisms appear to be thalamic modulation of cortical gain and cortico-cortical functional connectivity. The anatomy also implies a unique role for medial PFC in modulating processing in thalamocortical circuits involving other orbital and lateral PFC regions. We further discuss how cortico-basal ganglia circuits may provide a mechanism through which PFC controls cortico-cortical functional connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Phillips
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States.
| | - Niranjan A Kambi
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Michelle J Redinbaugh
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Sounak Mohanta
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Yuri B Saalmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States; Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 Capitol Ct., Madison, WI 53715, United States.
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15
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Patai EZ, Spiers HJ. The Versatile Wayfinder: Prefrontal Contributions to Spatial Navigation. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:520-533. [PMID: 33752958 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports decision-making, goal tracking, and planning. Spatial navigation is a behavior that taxes these cognitive processes, yet the role of the PFC in models of navigation has been largely overlooked. In humans, activity in dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) and ventrolateral PFC (vlPFC) during detours, reveal a role in inhibition and replanning. Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is implicated in planning and spontaneous internally-generated changes of route. Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) integrates representations of the environment with the value of actions, providing a 'map' of possible decisions. In rodents, medial frontal areas interact with hippocampus during spatial decisions and switching between navigation strategies. In reviewing these advances, we provide a framework for how different prefrontal regions may contribute to different stages of navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Zita Patai
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, UK; Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language sciences, University College London, UK.
| | - Hugo J Spiers
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language sciences, University College London, UK.
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