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Ross TW, Poulter SL, Lever C, Easton A. Mice integrate conspecific and contextual information in forming social episodic-like memories under spontaneous recognition task conditions. Sci Rep 2024; 14:16159. [PMID: 38997341 PMCID: PMC11245605 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66403-4] [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: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to remember unique past events (episodic memory) may be an evolutionarily conserved function, with accumulating evidence of episodic-(like) memory processing in rodents. In humans, it likely contributes to successful complex social networking. Rodents, arguably the most used laboratory models, are also rather social animals. However, many behavioural paradigms are devoid of sociality, and commonly-used social spontaneous recognition tasks (SRTs) are open to non-episodic strategies based upon familiarity. We address this gap by developing new SRT variants. Here, in object-in-context SRTs, we asked if context could be specified by the presence/absence of either a conspecific (experiment 1) or an additional local object (experiment 2). We show that mice readily used the conspecific as contextual information to distinguish unique episodes in memory. In contrast, no coherent behavioural response emerged when an additional object was used as a potential context specifier. Further, in a new social conspecific-in-context SRT (experiment 3) where environment-based change was the context specifier, mice preferably explored a more recently-seen familiar conspecific associated with contextual mismatch, over a less recently-seen familiar conspecific presented in the same context. The results argue that, in incidental SRT conditions, mice readily incorporate conspecific cue information into episodic-like memory. Thus, the tasks offer different ways to assess and further understand the mechanisms at work in social episodic-like memory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- T W Ross
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
- Centre for Learning and Memory Processes, Durham University, Durham, UK.
| | - S L Poulter
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
- Centre for Learning and Memory Processes, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - C Lever
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
- Centre for Learning and Memory Processes, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - A Easton
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
- Centre for Learning and Memory Processes, Durham University, Durham, UK
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2
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Fowler Z, Palombo DJ, Madan CR, O’Connor BB. Collaborative imagination synchronizes representations of the future and fosters social connection in the present. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318292121. [PMID: 38861594 PMCID: PMC11194507 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318292121] [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: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
From close friends to people on a first date, imagining a shared future appears fundamental to relationships. Yet, no previous research has conceptualized the act of imagination as a socially constructed process that affects how connected we feel to others. The present studies provide a framework for investigating imagination as a collaborative process in which individuals cocreate shared representations of hypothetical events-what we call collaborative imagination. Across two preregistered studies (N = 244), we provide evidence that collaborative imagination of a shared future fosters social connection in novel dyads-beyond imagining a shared future individually or shared experience in general. Subjective ratings and natural language processing of participants' imagined narratives illuminate the representational features of imagined events shaped by collaborative imagination. Together, the present findings have the potential to shift how we view the structure and function of imagination with implications for better understanding interpersonal relationships and collective cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoë Fowler
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY12222
| | - Daniela J. Palombo
- Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BCV6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Christopher R. Madan
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, NottinghamNG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Brendan Bo O’Connor
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY12222
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3
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Jino K, Miyamoto K, Kanbara T, Unemura C, Horiguchi N, Ago Y. Allosteric inhibition of phosphodiesterase 4D induces biphasic memory-enhancing effects associated with learning-activated signaling pathways. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:805-816. [PMID: 38114603 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06510-8] [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: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Phosphodiesterase 4D negative allosteric modulators (PDE4D NAMs) enhance memory and cognitive function in animal models without emetic-like side effects. However, the relationship between increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling and the effects of PDE4D NAM remains elusive. OBJECTIVE To investigate the roles of hippocampal cAMP metabolism and synaptic activation in the effects of D159687, a PDE4D NAM, under baseline and learning-stimulated conditions. RESULTS At 3 mg/kg, D159687 enhanced memory formation and consolidation in contextual fear conditioning; however, neither lower (0.3 mg/kg) nor higher (30 mg/kg) doses induced memory-enhancing effects. A biphasic (bell-shaped) dose-response effect was also observed in a scopolamine-induced model of amnesia in the Y-maze, whereas D159687 dose-dependently caused an emetic-like effect in the xylazine/ketamine anesthesia test. At 3 mg/kg, D159687 increased cAMP levels in the hippocampal CA1 region after conditioning in the fear conditioning test, but not in the home-cage or conditioning cage (i.e., context only). By contrast, 30 mg/kg of D159687 increased hippocampal cAMP levels under all conditions. Although both 3 and 30 mg/kg of D159687 upregulated learning-induced Fos expression in the hippocampal CA1 30 min after conditioning, 3 mg/kg, but not 30 mg/kg, of D159687 induced phosphorylation of synaptic plasticity-related proteins such as cAMP-responsive element-binding protein, synaptosomal-associated protein 25 kDa, and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit NR2A. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that learning-stimulated conditions can alter the effects of a PDE4D NAM on hippocampal cAMP levels and imply that a PDE4D NAM exerts biphasic memory-enhancing effects associated with synaptic plasticity-related signaling activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Jino
- Laboratory for Drug Discovery and Disease Research, Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 3-1-1 Futaba-cho, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka, 561-0825, Japan
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 734-8553, Japan
| | - Keisuke Miyamoto
- Laboratory for Drug Discovery and Disease Research, Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 3-1-1 Futaba-cho, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka, 561-0825, Japan
| | - Tomoe Kanbara
- Laboratory for Drug Discovery and Disease Research, Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 3-1-1 Futaba-cho, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka, 561-0825, Japan
| | - Chie Unemura
- Laboratory for Drug Discovery and Disease Research, Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 3-1-1 Futaba-cho, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka, 561-0825, Japan
| | - Naotaka Horiguchi
- Laboratory for Drug Discovery and Disease Research, Shionogi Pharmaceutical Research Center, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., 3-1-1 Futaba-cho, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka, 561-0825, Japan.
| | - Yukio Ago
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 734-8553, Japan.
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4
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Agron AM, Martin A, Gilmore AW. Scene construction and autobiographical memory retrieval in autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2024; 17:204-214. [PMID: 38037250 PMCID: PMC10922094 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3066] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently exhibit difficulties in retrieving autobiographical memories (AMs) of specific events from their life. Such memory deficits are frequently attributed to underlying disruptions in self-referential or social cognition processes. This makes intuitive sense as these are hallmarks of ASD. However, an emerging literature suggests that parallel deficits also exist in ASD individuals' ability to reconstruct the rich spatial contexts in which events occur. This is a capacity known as scene construction, and in typically developing individuals is considered a core process in retrieving AMs. In this review, we discuss evidence of difficulties with scene construction in ASD, drawing upon experiments that involve AM retrieval, other forms of mental time travel, and spatial navigation. We also highlight aspects of extant data that cannot be accounted for using purely social explanations of memory deficits in ASD. We conclude by identifying key questions raised by our framework and suggest how they might be addressed in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Agron
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Alex Martin
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Adrian W. Gilmore
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892
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Wu WY, Yiu E, Ophir AG, Smith DM. Effects of social context manipulation on dorsal and ventral hippocampal neuronal responses. Hippocampus 2023; 33:830-843. [PMID: 36789678 PMCID: PMC11127721 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
The hippocampus is critical for contextual memory and has recently been implicated in various kinds of social memory. Traditionally, studies of hippocampal context coding have manipulated elements of the background environment, such as the shape and color of the apparatus. These manipulations produce large shifts in the spatial firing patterns, a phenomenon known as remapping. These findings suggest that the hippocampus encodes and differentiates contexts by generating unique spatial firing patterns for each environment a subject encounters. However, we do not know whether the hippocampus encodes social contexts defined by the presence of particular conspecifics. We examined this by exposing rats to a series of manipulations of the social context, including the presence of familiar male, unfamiliar male and female conspecifics, in order to determine whether remapping is a plausible mechanism for encoding socially-defined contexts. Because the dorsal and ventral regions of the hippocampus are thought to play different roles in spatial and social cognition, we recorded neurons in both regions. Surprisingly, we found little evidence of remapping in response to manipulation of the social context in either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus, although we saw typical remapping in response to changing the background color. This result suggests that remapping is not the primary mechanism for encoding different social contexts. However, we found that a subset of hippocampal neurons fired selectively near the cages that contained the conspecifics, and these responses were most prevalent in the ventral hippocampus. We also found a striking increase in the spatial information content of ventral hippocampal firing patterns. These results indicate that the ventral hippocampus is sensitive to changes in the social context and neurons that respond selectively near the conspecific cages could play an important, if not fully understood role in encoding the conjunction of conspecifics, their location and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Yi Wu
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Eunice Yiu
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | | | - David M Smith
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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6
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Moore PA, Turnbull OH. Like a rolling stone: Psychotherapy without (episodic) memory. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:958194. [PMID: 36405914 PMCID: PMC9666688 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.958194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
People with profound amnesia still retain the capacity to learn about the emotional value of experiences, which is crucial in developing and sustaining interpersonal relationships. In a 2017 paper, we demonstrated for the first time (with patient JL) that transferential feelings develop across the therapeutic process, despite profound episodic memory impairment after medial temporal lesions. This paper reports a second case (GA) of a profoundly amnesic patient in psychotherapy, this time after lesions to the anterior fornix. The work with GA opens issues such as the differences and similarities to the previous case, counter-transference phenomena, and the effects of hyperphagia. The findings make it clear that many phenomena are common to both GA and JL, such as forgetfulness, various types of repetition, the importance of the therapeutic alliance, and the ability to make therapeutic gain. However, there were differences between the cases, for example as regards confabulation, which may relate to either pre-morbid personality or lesion site. The paper also discusses the way in which patients of this type bear the very status of psychotherapeutic work with profoundly amnesic patients. Where others have seen barriers and in principle problems in working with such patients, we see many opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A. Moore
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Oliver Hugh Turnbull
- School of Human and Behavioral Sciences, Bangor University, Wales, United Kingdom
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Beadle JN, Heller A, Rosenbaum RS, Davidson PSR, Tranel D, Duff M. Amygdala but not hippocampal damage associated with smaller social network size. Neuropsychologia 2022; 174:108311. [PMID: 35810880 PMCID: PMC9887793 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108311] [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: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Social network size has been associated with complex socio-cognitive processes (e.g., memory, perspective taking). Supporting this idea, recent neuroimaging studies in healthy adults have reported a relationship between social network size and brain volumes in regions related to memory and social cognition (e.g., hippocampus, amygdala). Lesion-deficit studies in neurological patients are rare and have been inconclusive due to differences in participant sampling and measurement. The present study uses a multiple case study approach. We investigated patients with focal damage to the hippocampus and/or amygdala (two neural structures thought to be critical for social networks), and examined the patients' social network size, loneliness, and life satisfaction relative to a non-injured comparison group. Patients with amygdalar damage had smaller social networks and reported higher levels of loneliness and lower life satisfaction, on average, than comparison participants. Patients with damage to the hippocampus reported more friends than the comparison participants, but did not differ in their ratings of loneliness or life satisfaction. This lesion study offers new evidence that the amygdala is critical for social networks, life satisfaction, and reduced loneliness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle N Beadle
- Department of Gerontology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA.
| | - Abi Heller
- Department of Gerontology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA
| | - R Shayna Rosenbaum
- Department of Psychology and Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) Program, York University, Canada
| | | | - Daniel Tranel
- Departments of Neurology and Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, USA
| | - Melissa Duff
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, USA
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8
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Dulas MR, Morrow EL, Schwarb H, Cohen NJ, Duff MC. Temporal order memory impairments in individuals with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2022; 44:210-225. [PMID: 35876336 PMCID: PMC9422773 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2022.2101620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Temporal order memory is a core cognitive function that underlies much of our behavior. The ability to bind together information within and across events, and to reconstruct that sequence of information, critically relies upon the hippocampal relational memory system. Recent work has suggested traumatic brain injury (TBI) may particularly impact hippocampally mediated relational memory. However, it is currently unclear whether such deficits extend to temporal order memory, and whether deficits only arise at large memory loads. The present study assessed temporal order memory in individuals with chronic, moderate-severe TBI across multiple set sizes. METHOD Individuals with TBI and Neurotypical Comparison participants studied sequences of three to nine objects, one a time. At test, all items were re-presented in pseudorandom order, and participants indicated the temporal position (i.e., first, second, etc.) in which each object had appeared. Critically, we assessed both the frequency and the magnitude of errors (i.e., how far from its studied position was an item remembered). RESULTS Individuals with TBI were not impaired for the smallest set size, but showed significant impairments at 5+ items. Group differences in the error frequency did not increase further with larger set sizes, but group differences in error magnitude did increase with larger memory loads. Individuals with TBI showed spared performance for the first object of each list (primacy) but were impaired on the last object (recency), though error frequency was better for last compared to middle items. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that TBI results in impaired temporal order memory for lists as small as five items, and that impairments are exacerbated with increasing memory loads. Assessments that test only small set sizes may be insufficient to detect these deficits. Further, these data highlight the importance of additional, sensitive measures in the assessment of cognitive impairments in TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Dulas
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana (IL)
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana (IL)
| | - Emily L. Morrow
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville (TN)
| | - Hillary Schwarb
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana (IL)
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institutes, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana (IL)
| | - Neal J. Cohen
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana (IL)
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institutes, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana (IL)
| | - Melissa C. Duff
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville (TN)
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9
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Arzy S, Kaplan R. Transforming Social Perspectives with Cognitive Maps. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:939-955. [PMID: 35257155 PMCID: PMC9527473 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that cognitive maps represent relations between social knowledge similar to how spatial locations are represented in an environment. Notably, the extant human medial temporal lobe literature assumes associations between social stimuli follow a linear associative mapping from an egocentric viewpoint to a cognitive map. Yet, this form of associative social memory doesn't account for a core phenomenon of social interactions in which social knowledge learned via comparisons to the self, other individuals, or social networks are assimilated within a single frame of reference. We argue that hippocampal-entorhinal coordinate transformations, known to integrate egocentric and allocentric spatial cues, inform social perspective switching between the self and others. We present evidence that the hippocampal formation helps inform social interactions by relating self versus other social attribute comparisons to society in general, which can afford rapid and flexible assimilation of knowledge about the relationship between the self and social networks of varying proximities. We conclude by discussing the ramifications of cognitive maps in aiding this social perspective transformation process in states of health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahar Arzy
- Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Cognitive Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
- Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Raphael Kaplan
- Correspondence should be addressed to Raphael Kaplan, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Avinguda de Vicent Sos Baynat, Castelló de la Plana, Spain. E-mail:
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10
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Ausmees L, Realo A, Allik J. Episodic Memory Reliving and Personality. JOURNAL OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1027/1614-0001/a000353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. There are considerable individual differences in remembering past episodes. The current study aimed to examine the link between episodic memory reliving and the Five-Factor Model personality traits. Altogether 422 participants (67% women) described an autobiographical episode and rated the vividness and clarity of that recollection. Next, they assessed their general tendencies of autobiographical recollections, which resulted in two autobiographical episodic memory scores (AEMS) for each participant – episodic and general. Participants also filled in the Estonian version of the International Personality Item Pool NEO questionnaire. Findings from partial correlation analysis (controlling for age and gender) revealed distinguishable patterns of associations for the episodic and general-level reports of memory reliving: the episodic AEMS was positively associated with E4: Activity Level and E1: Friendliness, whereas the general AEMS was negatively correlated with N4: Self-Consciousness, and positively with E1: Friendliness, E6: Cheerfulness, O1: Imagination, O5: Intellect, C2: Orderliness, and C3: Dutifulness (all significant at p < .005). The associations between the general (but not the episodic) AEMS and personality facets were significantly correlated with the average social desirability ratings of the respective facets. We conclude that greater social adaptation together with the motivation of positive self-perception are plausible explanations of the links between personality traits and reporting the quality of reliving personal memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisi Ausmees
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Anu Realo
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Jüri Allik
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Estonia
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11
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Banker SM, Gu X, Schiller D, Foss-Feig JH. Hippocampal contributions to social and cognitive deficits in autism spectrum disorder. Trends Neurosci 2021; 44:793-807. [PMID: 34521563 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by hallmark impairments in social functioning. Nevertheless, nonsocial cognition, including hippocampus-dependent spatial reasoning and episodic memory, is also commonly impaired in ASD. ASD symptoms typically emerge between 12 and 24 months of age, a time window associated with critical developmental events in the hippocampus. Despite this temporal overlap and evidence of hippocampal structural abnormalities in ASD individuals, relatively few human studies have focused on hippocampal function in ASD. Herein, we review the existing evidence for the involvement of the hippocampus in ASD and highlight the hippocampus as a promising area of interest for future research in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Banker
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; The Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Xiaosi Gu
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; The Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; The Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jennifer H Foss-Feig
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; The Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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12
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Bennett MS. What Behavioral Abilities Emerged at Key Milestones in Human Brain Evolution? 13 Hypotheses on the 600-Million-Year Phylogenetic History of Human Intelligence. Front Psychol 2021; 12:685853. [PMID: 34393912 PMCID: PMC8358274 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.685853] [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: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper presents 13 hypotheses regarding the specific behavioral abilities that emerged at key milestones during the 600-million-year phylogenetic history from early bilaterians to extant humans. The behavioral, intellectual, and cognitive faculties of humans are complex and varied: we have abilities as diverse as map-based navigation, theory of mind, counterfactual learning, episodic memory, and language. But these faculties, which emerge from the complex human brain, are likely to have evolved from simpler prototypes in the simpler brains of our ancestors. Understanding the order in which behavioral abilities evolved can shed light on how and why our brains evolved. To propose these hypotheses, I review the available data from comparative psychology and evolutionary neuroscience.
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13
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Krendl AC, Kennedy DP, Hugenberg K, Perry BL. Social cognitive abilities predict unique aspects of older adults' personal social networks. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2021; 77:18-28. [PMID: 33733655 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The current study explores whether personal social network characteristics are associated with older adults' memory and/or social cognitive function (e.g., ability to infer other's mental states - theory of mind). METHODS 120 older adults completed a social network interview, a memory measure, and two core measures of social cognitive functions: emotion recognition and theory of mind. RESULTS Variation in memory and social cognitive abilities predicted distinct aspects of older adults' social networks. Having better memory predicted having larger, less dense social networks, but better theory of mind was associated with having at least one acquaintance in the network, and having more heterogeneous social relationships within the network. DISCUSSION Together our findings suggest that disparate social cognitive abilities may serve unique functions, facilitating maintenance of beneficial social connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne C Krendl
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington
| | - Daniel P Kennedy
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington
| | - Kurt Hugenberg
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington
| | - Brea L Perry
- Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington
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14
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Banker SM, Pagliaccio D, Ramphal B, Thomas L, Dranovsky A, Margolis AE. Altered structure and functional connectivity of the hippocampus are associated with social and mathematical difficulties in nonverbal learning disability. Hippocampus 2020; 31:79-88. [PMID: 32949475 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The hippocampus is known to play a critical role in a variety of complex abilities, including visual-spatial reasoning, social functioning, and math. Nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in visual-spatial reasoning that are accompanied by impairment in social function or mathematics, as well as motor or executive function skills. Despite the overlap between behaviors supported by the hippocampus and impairments in NVLD, the structure and function of the hippocampus in NVLD has not been studied. To address this gap in the literature, we first compared hippocampal volume and resting-state functional connectivity in children with NVLD (n = 24) and typically developing (TD) children (n = 20). We then explored associations between hippocampal structure, connectivity, and performance on measures of spatial, social, and mathematical ability. Relative to TD children, those with NVLD showed significant reductions in left hippocampal volume and greater hippocampal-cerebellar connectivity. In children with NVLD, reduced hippocampal volume associated with worse mathematical problem solving. Although children with NVLD exhibited more social problems (social responsiveness scale [SRS]) and higher hippocampal-cerebellar connectivity relative to TD children, greater connectivity was associated with fewer social problems among children with NVLD but not TD children. Such an effect may suggest a compensatory mechanism. These structural and functional alterations of the hippocampus may disrupt its putative role in organizing conceptual frameworks through cognitive mapping, thus contributing to the cross-domain difficulties that characterize NVLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Banker
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - David Pagliaccio
- The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Bruce Ramphal
- The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lauren Thomas
- The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alex Dranovsky
- The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Amy E Margolis
- The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
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15
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Does Midlife Forgetfulness Influence Positive and Negative Aspects of Social Relations at Work?: Results From the Danish Working Environment Cohort Study. J Occup Environ Med 2020; 62:738-745. [PMID: 32890213 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000001954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We investigated whether midlife forgetfulness was prospectively associated with changes in social relations at work (SRW) among occupationally active individuals in Denmark. METHODS We analyzed data of 2339 men and women participating in the first (1990) and second (1995) survey of the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study, responding to questions on working environment, SRW, and forgetfulness. We used multiple linear regression analysis while adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS At baseline (1990), 517 (22.1%) study participants were categorized as forgetful. Forgetfulness was prospectively associated with a decline in one of the investigated items reflecting a negative aspect of SRW (experiencing teasing, regression coefficient = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.11), while no association was observed with positive aspects of SRW. CONCLUSIONS Our findings did not support the hypothesis that memory problems such as midlife forgetfulness negatively affect SRW.
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16
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Morrow EL, Dulas MR, Cohen NJ, Duff MC. Relational Memory at Short and Long Delays in Individuals With Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:270. [PMID: 32754022 PMCID: PMC7366514 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Memory deficits are a common and frequently-cited consequence of moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, we know less about how TBI influences relational memory, which allows the binding of the arbitrary elements of experience and the flexible use and recombination of relational representations in novel situations. Relational memory is of special interest for individuals with TBI, given the vulnerability of the hippocampus to injury mechanisms, as well as a growing body of literature establishing the role of relational memory in flexible and goal-directed behavior. In this study, participants with and without a history of moderate-severe TBI completed a continuous relational memory task for face-scene pairings. Participants with TBI exhibited a disruption in relational memory not only when tested after a delay, but also when tested with no experimenter-imposed delay after stimulus presentation. Further, canonical assessments of working and episodic memory did not correspond with performance on the face-scene task, suggesting that this task may tap into relational memory differently and with greater sensitivity than standardized memory assessments. These results highlight the need for rigorous assessment of relational memory in TBI, which is likely to detect deficits that have specific consequences for community reintegration and long-term functional outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Morrow
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Michael R Dulas
- Beckman Institute, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Neal J Cohen
- Beckman Institute, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institutes, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Melissa C Duff
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
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17
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Stern JA, Botdorf M, Cassidy J, Riggins T. Empathic responding and hippocampal volume in young children. Dev Psychol 2020; 55:1908-1920. [PMID: 31464494 DOI: 10.1037/dev0000684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Empathic responding-the capacity to understand, resonate with, and respond sensitively to others' emotional experiences-is a complex human faculty that calls upon multiple social, emotional, and cognitive capacities and their underlying neural systems. Emerging evidence in adults has suggested that the hippocampus and its associated network may play an important role in empathic responding, possibly via processes such as memory of emotional events, but the contribution of this structure in early childhood is unknown. We examined concurrent associations between empathic responding and hippocampal volume in a sample of 78 children (ages 4-8 years). Larger bilateral hippocampal volume (adjusted for intracranial volume) predicted greater observed empathic responses toward an experimenter in distress, but only for boys. The association was not driven by a specific subregion of the hippocampus (head, body, tail), nor did it vary with age. Empathic responding was not significantly related to amygdala volume, suggesting specificity of relations with the hippocampus. Results support the proposal that hippocampal structure contributes to individual differences in children's empathic responding, consistent with research in adults. Findings shed light on an understudied structure in the complex neural systems supporting empathic responding and raise new questions regarding sex differences in the neurodevelopment of empathy in early childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Stern
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park
| | - Morgan Botdorf
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park
| | - Jude Cassidy
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park
| | - Tracy Riggins
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park
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18
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Klooster NB, Tranel D, Duff MC. The hippocampus and semantic memory over time. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 201:104711. [PMID: 31739112 PMCID: PMC7577377 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.104711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
We previously reported impoverished semantic memory in patients with hippocampal amnesia (Klooster & Duff, 2015). Here, we test whether this disruption results from the patients not updating semantic representations since the onset of their amnesia. We extend previous work by comparing performance of hippocampal patients and their current age (CA) comparisons (M = 58.5 years) to a new comparison group matched to the patients' age of onset (AoO) of hippocampal damage (M = 36.8). Participants completed feature and senses-listing tasks and the Word Associates Test. Both comparison groups performed significantly better than the patients with amnesia. A key new finding was that the older CA group performed significantly better than the younger AoO group. Semantic memory may become richer over time as additional information is added to existing representations. We conclude that a failure to update semantic memory may explain (at least some of) the previously observed deficits in amnesia and that the hippocampus may support semantic memory across the lifespan. Longitudinal data from patients with hippocampal pathology would provide a critical test of our conclusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel B Klooster
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, United States; Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, United States
| | - Daniel Tranel
- Department of Neurology, Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, United States.
| | - Melissa C Duff
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, United States
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19
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Gao AF, Keith JL, Gao FQ, Black SE, Moscovitch M, Rosenbaum RS. Neuropathology of a remarkable case of memory impairment informs human memory. Neuropsychologia 2020; 140:107342. [PMID: 31972232 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Kent Cochrane (K.C.) has been investigated by researchers for nearly three decades after intracranial trauma from a motorcycle accident at age 30 resulted in a striking profile of amnesia. K.C. suffered severe anterograde amnesia in both verbal and non-verbal domains which was accompanied by selective retrograde amnesia for personal events experienced prior to the time of his injury (episodic memory), with relative preservation of memory for personal and world facts (semantic memory), and of implicit memory. This pattern of spared and impaired memory extended to spatial memory for large-scale environments and beyond memory to future imagining and decision-making. Post-mortem brain findings at age 62 included moderate diffuse atrophy, left orbitofrontal contusion, left posterior cerebral artery infarct, and left anterior frontal watershed infarct. Notably, there was severe neuronal loss and gliosis of the hippocampi bilaterally. The left hippocampus was severely affected anteriorly and posteriorly, but CA2, CA4, and the dentate gyrus (DG) were focally spared. There was associated degeneration of the left fornix. The right hippocampus showed near complete destruction anteriorly, with relative preservation posteriorly, mainly of CA4 and DG. Bilateral parahippocampal gyri and left anterior thalamus also showed neuron loss and gliosis. There was no evidence of co-existing neurodegenerative phenomena on beta-amyloid, phosphorylated tau, or TDP-43 immunostaining. The extent of damage to medial temporal lobe structures is in keeping with K.C.'s profound anterograde and retrograde amnesia, with the exception of the unexpected finding of preserved CA2/CA4 and DG. K.C.'s case demonstrates that relatively clean functional dissociations are still possible following widespread brain damage, with structurally compromised brain regions unlikely to be critical to cognitive functions found to be intact. In this way, the findings presented here add to K.C.'s significant contributions to our understanding of clinical-anatomical relationships in memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F Gao
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia L Keith
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Fu-Qiang Gao
- L.C. Campbell Cognitive Neurology Research Group, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sandra E Black
- L.C. Campbell Cognitive Neurology Research Group, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - R Shayna Rosenbaum
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology and Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) Program, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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20
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Hearing Impairment, Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Cognitive Function: Longitudinal Analysis Using English Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2019; 27:1348-1356. [PMID: 31402088 DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examines the relationships between hearing impairment and cognitive function among older adults, and whether that association is mediated by loneliness and social isolation. METHODS Data were drawn from English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) wave two (2004/2005) until wave seven (2014/2015). The study sample consisted of 8,199 individuals aged 50 years or older. Cognitive function was measured using episodic memory. We performed analysis using a generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) technique. RESULTS GSEM analysis shows that the direct effect of hearing impairment on episodic memory was negative and significant (β = -0.29, p <0.001). Loneliness and social isolation mediated that effect. Hearing impairment was positively associated with loneliness (β = 0.10, p <0.001) and social isolation (β = 0.04, p <0.001). Loneliness (β = -0.08, p <0.001) and social isolation (β = -0.09, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with lower memory scores. CONCLUSION The link between hearing impairment and episodic memory was partly mediated by loneliness and social isolation. Interventions to improve the social networks of older adults with hearing impairment are likely to be beneficial in preventing cognitive decline. Thus, the importance of maintaining social relationships among older adults, especially those with hearing impairment is highlighted.
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21
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Penninkilampi R, Casey AN, Singh MF, Brodaty H. The Association between Social Engagement, Loneliness, and Risk of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 66:1619-1633. [PMID: 30452410 DOI: 10.3233/jad-180439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
It has been reported that social engagement may be associated with dementia risk. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, LILACS, Biomed Central, Scopus, and Web of Science from January 2012 - May 2017, supplemented by extraction from previous reviews. We included cohort and case-control studies examining the association between social engagement or loneliness and dementia risk, pooling data using a random-effects model. Registered: PROSPERO (CRD42017067074). We included 31 cohort and 2 case-control studies comprising 2,370,452 participants. Poor social engagement indices were associated with increased dementia risk, including having a poor social network (RR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.31-1.96; I2 = 0.00%) and poor social support (RR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.01-1.62; I2 = 55.51%). In long-term studies (≥10 years), good social engagement was modestly protective (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.80-0.96; I2 = 0.00%). Loneliness was non-significantly associated with increased risk (RR = 1.38, 95% CI 0.98-1.94; I2 = 45.32). Our findings encourage interventions targeting social isolation and disengagement for dementia prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Penninkilampi
- Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anne-Nicole Casey
- Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Maria Fiatarone Singh
- The University of Sydney, faculty of Health Sciences and Sydney Medical School Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Hebrew SeniorLife and Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Henry Brodaty
- Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
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22
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Rigon A, Schwarb H, Klooster N, Cohen NJ, Duff MC. Spatial relational memory in individuals with traumatic brain injury. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2019; 42:14-27. [PMID: 31475607 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2019.1659755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Relational memory is the ability to bind arbitrary relations between elements of experience into durable representations and the flexible expression of these representations. It is well known that individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have declarative memory impairments, but less is known about how TBI affects relational memory binding, the deficit at the heart of declarative, or relational, memory impairment. The aim of the current study is to examine such deficits.Method: We used a spatial reconstruction task (SRT) with 29 individuals with TBI and 23 normal comparison (NC) participants to investigate four different types of spatial relations: (A) identity-location relations, i.e., the relationship between a specific item and its known location; (B) item-item relations, or the relationship between one item and another; (C) item-display relations, or the relationship between an item and its position in the display; and (D) compound-item relations, i.e., relations that involve combinations of A, B, and C.Results: Our data revealed that individuals with TBI showed impairments in learning identity-location relations and increased compound errors compared to NCs. We also found evidence that when item identity is disregarded, individuals with TBI do not perform differently from NCs. An exploratory analysis revealed that while relational memory performance was significantly correlated with scores on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), more participants with TBI exhibited impairment on the SRT than of the CVLT.Conclusions: Our findings show that relational memory is impaired following TBI, and provide preliminary evidence for an easy-to-administer task with increased sensitivity to memory impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Rigon
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Department of Communication Disorders, Marshall University, Huntington, WV
| | - Hillary Schwarb
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Nathaniel Klooster
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Neal J Cohen
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Melissa C Duff
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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23
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Sadeh T, Dang C, Gat-Lazer S, Moscovitch M. Recalling the firedog: Individual differences in associative memory for unitized and nonunitized associations among older adults. Hippocampus 2019; 30:130-142. [PMID: 31348573 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23142] [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: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Memory deficits in aging are characterized by impaired hippocampus-mediated relational binding-the formation of links between items in memory. By reducing reliance on relational binding, unitization of two items into one concept enhances associative recognition among older adults. Can a similar enhancement be obtained when probing memory with recall? This question has yet to be examined, because recall has been assumed to rely predominantly on relational binding. Inspired by recent evidence challenging this assumption, we investigated individual differences in older adults' recall of unitized and nonunitized associations. Compared with successfully aging individuals, older adults with mild memory deficits, typically mediated by the hippocampus, were impaired in recall of paired-associates in a task which relies on relational binding (study: "PLAY-TUNNEL"; test: PLAY-T?). In stark contrast, the two groups showed similar performance when items were unitized into a novel compound word (study: "LOVEGIGGLE"; test: LOVEG?). Thus, boosting nonrelational aspects of recall enhances associative memory among aging individuals with subtle memory impairments to comparable levels as successfully aging older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talya Sadeh
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.,Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.,Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christa Dang
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sigal Gat-Lazer
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Chronic Pain Day Care Unit, Rehabilitation Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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24
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Episodic memory solves both social and nonsocial problems, and evolved to fulfill many different functions. Behav Brain Sci 2019; 41:e20. [PMID: 29353579 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x17001418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The episodic memory system is flexible and complex, and likely evolved in response to a wide range of survival-relevant problems in our evolutionary past, both social and nonsocial. Episodic memory allows us to recollect and infer details that may have seemed trivial on encoding, but are now known to be relevant. This memory aids humans in navigating their uncertain environment.
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25
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Hengst JA, Duff MC, Jones TA. Enriching Communicative Environments: Leveraging Advances in Neuroplasticity for Improving Outcomes in Neurogenic Communication Disorders. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2019; 28:216-229. [PMID: 30453323 PMCID: PMC6437703 DOI: 10.1044/2018_ajslp-17-0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Research manipulating the complexity of housing environments for healthy and brain-damaged animals has offered strong, well-replicated evidence for the positive impacts in animal models of enriched environments on neuroplasticity and behavioral outcomes across the lifespan. This article reviews foundational work on environmental enrichment from the animal literature and considers how it relates to a line of research examining rich communicative environments among adults with aphasia, amnesia, and related cognitive-communication disorders. Method Drawing on the authors' own research and the broader literature, this article first presents a critical review of environmental complexity from the animal literature. Building on that animal research, the second section begins by defining rich communicative environments for humans (highlighting the combined effects of complexity, voluntariness, and experiential quality). It then introduces key frameworks for analyzing and designing rich communicative environments: distributed communication and functional systems along with sociocultural theories of learning and development in humans that support them. The final section provides an overview of Hengst's and Duff's basic and translational research, which has been designed to exploit the insights of sociocultural theories and research on environmental complexity. In particular, this research has aimed to enrich communicative interactions in clinical settings, to trace specific communicative resources that characterize such interactions, and to marshal rich communicative environments for therapeutic goals for individuals with aphasia and amnesia. Conclusions This article concludes by arguing that enriching and optimizing environments and experiences offers a very promising approach to rehabilitation efforts designed to enhance the reorganization of cognitive-communicative abilities after brain injury. Such interventions would require clinicians to use the principles outlined here to enrich communicative environments and to target distributed communication in functional systems (not the isolated language of individuals).
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A. Hengst
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
| | - Melissa C. Duff
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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26
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Lonely But Not Alone: Neuroticism Mediates the Relationship Between Social Network Size and Loneliness in Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2019; 25:285-292. [PMID: 30567616 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617718001108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: Although individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often report higher levels of social isolation, little is known about the factors influencing their self-perception of loneliness. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between loneliness, social network size, and personality variables (neuroticism and extraversion) after TBI, and in particular whether specific personality variables mediate the relationship between social network size and perception of loneliness. Methods: Here, we assessed self-reported loneliness, personality variables, and social network size of 24 individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI and 41 healthy comparison participants. We then carried out a mediation analysis to examine whether personality variables mediated the relationship between loneliness and social network size. Results: Our results indicate that individuals with TBI reported higher levels of loneliness and neuroticism, but there was no group difference in social network size or extraversion. The mediation analysis revealed that the association between social network size and loneliness was mediated by neuroticism, but not by extraversion. Conclusions: Our findings show that neuroticism is an intervening variable in the relationship between social network size and self-perception of loneliness in individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI, and presents a new possible target for clinicians and rehabilitators seeking to address reports of loneliness and social isolation in TBI. (JINS 2019, 25, 266-274).
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27
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Schafer M, Schiller D. Navigating Social Space. Neuron 2018; 100:476-489. [PMID: 30359610 PMCID: PMC6226014 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive maps are encoded in the hippocampal formation and related regions and range from the spatial to the purely conceptual. Neural mechanisms that encode information into relational structures, up to an arbitrary level of abstraction, may explain such a broad range of representation. Research now indicates that social life can also be mapped by these mechanisms: others' spatial locations, social memory, and even a two-dimensional social space framed by social power and affiliation. The systematic mapping of social life onto a relational social space facilitates adaptive social decision making, akin to social navigation. This emerging line of research has implications for cognitive mapping research, clinical disorders that feature hippocampal dysfunction, and the field of social cognitive neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Schafer
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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28
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Zalla T, Korman J. Prior Knowledge, Episodic Control and Theory of Mind in Autism: Toward an Integrative Account of Social Cognition. Front Psychol 2018; 9:752. [PMID: 30233436 PMCID: PMC6134323 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last 30 years, research has explored theory of mind (ToM), the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and to others. Work on ToM in typical and atypical populations has shed light on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying social understanding and interaction. The ToM hypothesis has long been regarded as one comprehensive explanation of the severe cognitive and behavioral impairments encountered by individuals with autism. However, high-functioning individuals can often pass both first-order and second-order false belief tasks using cognitive compensation strategies. To provide more sensitive measures of mental state attribution abilities, researchers have introduced more difficult, “advanced” theory of mind tasks. In this article, we argue that in attempting to bypass compensation strategies, these new advanced ToM tasks, such as the Faux Pas and the Strange Stories tasks, impose cognitive demands beyond those specific to the domain of ToM. We then provide an integrative account of social deficits in autism that takes into account several distinct components of mental state understanding, including both general cognitive capacities and processes specific to ToM. We argue that a number of related cognitive abilities, including episodic cognitive control and inferencing from prior knowledge, are necessary to understand how both people with autism and typical development navigate challenging, real-life social situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Zalla
- Institut Jean Nicod, CNRS UMR 8129, Institut d'Etude de la Cognition, École Normale Supérieure and PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Joanna Korman
- Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence, United States Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, United States
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Duranton C, Jeannin S, Bedossa T, Gaunet F. [Studying episodic memory : dogs as a biological model ?]. Med Sci (Paris) 2017; 33:1089-1095. [PMID: 29261497 DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20173312016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to remember past events in all of their dimensions (what? where? when? i.e. autobiographic/episodic memory) is highly adaptive. Conversely, individuals who do not have such ability are less likely to benefit from recognizing situations similar to previous ones, e.g. to avoid being defeated several times. We will present the different types of memory and their ontogeny, focusing on those that are found in dogs. We will then describe more precisely the episodic memory, i.e. remembering events or actions from others, and their location and the time of the events and will present to which degree such a skill is found in dogs. We will show that, even if dogs are a social species whose specificities should reveal the existence of an episodic-like memory, dogs remember who and what happened but no study evidenced yet that they remember the precise time it was done. Further studies are thus needed, especially as dogs represent a relevant biological model for comparative cognition to study the ontogeny or senescence of non verbal episodic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Duranton
- Laboratoire de psychologie cognitive, université Aix-Marseille, CNRS, UMR7290, Fédération 3C, 3, place Victor Hugo, CS 80249, Bâtiment 9, Case D, 13331 Marseille Cedex 03, France
| | - Sarah Jeannin
- Laboratoire éthologie, cognition et développement, université Paris Nanterre, Bâtiment BSL, 200, avenue de la République, 92000 Nanterre, France
| | - Thierry Bedossa
- École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort, 7, avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94704 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Florence Gaunet
- Laboratoire de psychologie cognitive, université Aix-Marseille, CNRS, UMR7290, Fédération 3C, 3, place Victor Hugo, CS 80249, Bâtiment 9, Case D, 13331 Marseille Cedex 03, France
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Montagrin A, Saiote C, Schiller D. The social hippocampus. Hippocampus 2017; 28:672-679. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alison Montagrin
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York 10029
| | - Catarina Saiote
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York 10029
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York 10029
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Rubin RD, Schwarb H, Lucas HD, Dulas MR, Cohen NJ. Dynamic Hippocampal and Prefrontal Contributions to Memory Processes and Representations Blur the Boundaries of Traditional Cognitive Domains. Brain Sci 2017; 7:brainsci7070082. [PMID: 28704928 PMCID: PMC5532595 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci7070082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus has long been known to be a critical component of the memory system involved in the formation and use of long-term declarative memory. However, recent findings have revealed that the reach of hippocampal contributions extends to a variety of domains and tasks that require the flexible use of cognitive and social behavior, including domains traditionally linked to prefrontal cortex (PFC), such as decision-making. In addition, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has gained traction as a necessary part of the memory system. These findings challenge the conventional characterizations of hippocampus and PFC as being circumscribed to traditional cognitive domains. Here, we emphasize that the ability to parsimoniously account for the breadth of hippocampal and PFC contributions to behavior, in terms of memory function and beyond, requires theoretical advances in our understanding of their characteristic processing features and mental representations. Notably, several literatures exist that touch upon this issue, but have remained disjointed because of methodological differences that necessarily limit the scope of inquiry, as well as the somewhat artificial boundaries that have been historically imposed between domains of cognition. In particular, this article focuses on the contribution of relational memory theory as an example of a framework that describes both the representations and processes supported by the hippocampus, and further elucidates the role of the hippocampal–PFC network to a variety of behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael D Rubin
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
- Carle Neuroscience Institute, Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Hillary Schwarb
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Heather D Lucas
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Michael R Dulas
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Neal J Cohen
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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Grimm S, Wirth K, Fan Y, Weigand A, Gärtner M, Feeser M, Dziobek I, Bajbouj M, Aust S. The interaction of corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor gene and early life stress on emotional empathy. Behav Brain Res 2017; 329:180-185. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.04.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Smith AS, Williams Avram SK, Cymerblit-Sabba A, Song J, Young WS. Targeted activation of the hippocampal CA2 area strongly enhances social memory. Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:1137-44. [PMID: 26728562 PMCID: PMC4935650 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 10/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Social cognition enables individuals to understand others' intentions. Social memory is a necessary component of this process, for without it, subsequent encounters are devoid of any historical information. The CA2 area of the hippocampus, particularly the vasopressin 1b receptor (Avpr1b) expressed there, is necessary for memory formation. We used optogenetics to excite vasopressin terminals, originating from the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, in the CA2 of mice. This markedly enhanced their social memory if the stimulation occurred during memory acquisition, but not retrieval. This effect was blocked by an Avpr1b antagonist. Finally, this enhanced memory is resistant to the social distraction of an introduced second mouse, important for socially navigating populations of individuals. Our results indicate the CA2 can increase the salience of social signals. Targeted pharmacotherapy with Avpr1b agonists or deep brain stimulation of the CA2 are potential avenues of treatment for those with declining social memory as in various dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam S. Smith
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sarah K. Williams Avram
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adi Cymerblit-Sabba
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - June Song
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - W. Scott Young
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Moscovitch M, Cabeza R, Winocur G, Nadel L. Episodic Memory and Beyond: The Hippocampus and Neocortex in Transformation. Annu Rev Psychol 2016; 67:105-34. [PMID: 26726963 PMCID: PMC5060006 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 559] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The last decade has seen dramatic technological and conceptual changes in research on episodic memory and the brain. New technologies, and increased use of more naturalistic observations, have enabled investigators to delve deeply into the structures that mediate episodic memory, particularly the hippocampus, and to track functional and structural interactions among brain regions that support it. Conceptually, episodic memory is increasingly being viewed as subject to lifelong transformations that are reflected in the neural substrates that mediate it. In keeping with this dynamic perspective, research on episodic memory (and the hippocampus) has infiltrated domains, from perception to language and from empathy to problem solving, that were once considered outside its boundaries. Using the component process model as a framework, and focusing on the hippocampus, its subfields, and specialization along its longitudinal axis, along with its interaction with other brain regions, we consider these new developments and their implications for the organization of episodic memory and its contribution to functions in other domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morris Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada;
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Center, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1 Canada
- Department of Psychology, Baycrest Center, Toronto, Ontario M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Roberto Cabeza
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708;
| | - Gordon Winocur
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Center, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1 Canada
- Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8, Canada;
| | - Lynn Nadel
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721;
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Wagner U, Handke L, Walter H. The relationship between trait empathy and memory formation for social vs. non-social information. BMC Psychol 2015; 3:2. [PMID: 25685356 PMCID: PMC4322958 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-015-0058-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background To navigate successfully through their complex social environment, humans need both empathic and mnemonic skills. Little is known on how these two types of psychological abilities relate to each other in humans. Although initial clinical findings suggest a positive association, systematic investigations in healthy subject samples have not yet been performed. Differentiating cognitive and affective aspects of empathy, we assumed that cognitive empathy would be positively associated with general memory performance, while affective empathy, due to enhanced other-related emotional reactions, would be related to a relative memory advantage for information of social as compared to non-social relevance. Methods We investigated in young healthy participants the relationship between dispositional cognitive and affective empathy, as measured by Davis’ Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 113–126, 1983), and memory formation for stimuli (numbers presented in a lottery choice task) that could be encoded in either a social (other-related) or a non-social (self-related) way within the task. Results Cognitive empathy, specifically perspective taking, correlated with overall memory performance (regardless of encoding condition), while affective empathy, specifically empathic personal distress, predicted differential memory for socially vs. non-socially encoded information. Conclusion Both cognitive and affective empathy are associated with memory formation, but in different ways, depending on the social nature of the memory content. These results open new and so far widely neglected avenues of psychological research on the relationship between social and cognitive skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ullrich Wagner
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, 48149 Münster, Germany ; Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lisa Handke
- Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
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36
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Sliwa J, Planté A, Duhamel JR, Wirth S. Independent Neuronal Representation of Facial and Vocal Identity in the Monkey Hippocampus and Inferotemporal Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2014; 26:950-966. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
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Rosenbaum RS, Gao F, Honjo K, Raybaud C, Olsen RK, Palombo DJ, Levine B, Black SE. Congenital absence of the mammillary bodies: a novel finding in a well-studied case of developmental amnesia. Neuropsychologia 2014; 65:82-7. [PMID: 25301386 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.09.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2014] [Revised: 09/24/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with developmental amnesia experience compromised development of episodic memory for details of personal life events, believed to relate to changes to the hippocampus after birth. Here we report the very rare discovery of aplasia of the mammillary bodies, hypogenesis of the fornix, and abnormal hippocampal shape and orientation in H.C., a well-documented case of selectively compromised episodic memory development who is the subject of numerous published empirical articles. These anatomical abnormalities are highly suggestive of disrupted extended hippocampal system development very early in gestation, despite an original diagnosis of developmental amnesia and assumed perinatal hypoxia. These findings provide a unique window into the normal function of the mammillary bodies, fornices, and related anterior nuclei of the thalamus bilaterally. The results also encourage re-examination of the pathological basis of developmental amnesia in other cases reported in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Shayna Rosenbaum
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3; Rotman Research Institute Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1.
| | - Fuqiang Gao
- LC Campbell Cognitive Neurology Research Unit, Brain Science Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4N 3M5
| | - Kie Honjo
- LC Campbell Cognitive Neurology Research Unit, Brain Science Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4N 3M5
| | - Charles Raybaud
- Division of Neuroradiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1W7
| | - Rosanna K Olsen
- Rotman Research Institute Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1
| | - Daniela J Palombo
- Rotman Research Institute Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3
| | - Brian Levine
- Rotman Research Institute Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3; Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4N 3M5
| | - Sandra E Black
- Rotman Research Institute Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1W7; Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4N 3M5
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38
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Rubin RD, Watson PD, Duff MC, Cohen NJ. The role of the hippocampus in flexible cognition and social behavior. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:742. [PMID: 25324753 PMCID: PMC4179699 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful behavior requires actively acquiring and representing information about the environment and people, and manipulating and using those acquired representations flexibly to optimally act in and on the world. The frontal lobes have figured prominently in most accounts of flexible or goal-directed behavior, as evidenced by often-reported behavioral inflexibility in individuals with frontal lobe dysfunction. Here, we propose that the hippocampus also plays a critical role by forming and reconstructing relational memory representations that underlie flexible cognition and social behavior. There is mounting evidence that damage to the hippocampus can produce inflexible and maladaptive behavior when such behavior places high demands on the generation, recombination, and flexible use of information. This is seen in abilities as diverse as memory, navigation, exploration, imagination, creativity, decision-making, character judgments, establishing and maintaining social bonds, empathy, social discourse, and language use. Thus, the hippocampus, together with its extensive interconnections with other neural systems, supports the flexible use of information in general. Further, we suggest that this understanding has important clinical implications. Hippocampal abnormalities can produce profound deficits in real-world situations, which typically place high demands on the flexible use of information, but are not always obvious on diagnostic tools tuned to frontal lobe function. This review documents the role of the hippocampus in supporting flexible representations and aims to expand our understanding of the dynamic networks that operate as we move through and create meaning of our world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael D Rubin
- Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Patrick D Watson
- Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Melissa C Duff
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA ; Department of Neurology, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Neal J Cohen
- Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
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Merhav M, Karni A, Gilboa A. Neocortical catastrophic interference in healthy and amnesic adults: A paradoxical matter of time. Hippocampus 2014; 24:1653-62. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Merhav
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology and Ethology; University of Haifa; Mount Carmel Israel
| | - Avi Karni
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology and Ethology; University of Haifa; Mount Carmel Israel
- Department of Learning Disabilities; Faculty of Education and the E.J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa; Mount Carmel Israel
| | - Asaf Gilboa
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest and Centre for Stroke Recovery; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Psychology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
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40
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Rosenbaum RS, Gilboa A, Moscovitch M. Case studies continue to illuminate the cognitive neuroscience of memory. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2014; 1316:105-33. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Shayna Rosenbaum
- Department of Psychology; York University; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Rotman Research Institute; Baycrest; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Canadian Partnership in Stroke Recovery, Baycrest; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Asaf Gilboa
- Rotman Research Institute; Baycrest; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Canadian Partnership in Stroke Recovery, Baycrest; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Psychology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Rotman Research Institute; Baycrest; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Psychology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Psychology, Baycrest; Toronto Ontario Canada
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Kéri S. Social influence on associative learning: double dissociation in high-functioning autism, early-stage behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Cortex 2014; 54:200-9. [PMID: 24709075 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Revised: 02/03/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Most of our learning activity takes place in a social context. I examined how social interactions influence associative learning in neurodegenerative diseases and atypical neurodevelopmental conditions primarily characterised by social cognitive and memory dysfunctions. METHODS Participants were individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA, n = 18), early-stage behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD, n = 16) and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 20). The leading symptoms in HFA and bvFTD were social and behavioural dysfunctions, whereas AD was characterised by memory deficits. Participants received three versions of a paired associates learning task. In the game with boxes test, objects were hidden in six candy boxes placed in different locations on the computer screen. In the game with faces, each box was labelled by a photo of a person. In the real-life version of the game, participants played with real persons. RESULTS Individuals with HFA and bvFTD performed well in the computer games, but failed on the task including real persons. In contrast, in patients with early-stage AD, social interactions boosted paired associates learning up to the level of healthy control volunteers. Worse performance in the real life game was associated with less successful recognition of complex emotions and mental states in the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. Spatial span did not affect the results. CONCLUSIONS When social cognition is impaired, but memory systems are less compromised (HFA and bvFTD), real-life interactions disrupt associative learning; when disease process impairs memory systems but social cognition is relatively intact (early-stage AD), social interactions have a beneficial effect on learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szabolcs Kéri
- University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Szeged, Hungary; Nyírő Gyula Hospital - National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictions, Budapest, Hungary; Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Cognitive Science, Budapest, Hungary.
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42
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Spreng RN. Examining the role of memory in social cognition. Front Psychol 2013; 4:437. [PMID: 23874320 PMCID: PMC3709095 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Department of Human Development, Cornell University Ithaca, NY, USA
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43
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Abstract
One prominent view holds that episodic memory emerged recently in humans and lacks a "(neo)Darwinian evolution" [Tulving E (2002) Annu Rev Psychol 53:1-25]. Here, we review evidence supporting the alternative perspective that episodic memory has a long evolutionary history. We show that fundamental features of episodic memory capacity are present in mammals and birds and that the major brain regions responsible for episodic memory in humans have anatomical and functional homologs in other species. We propose that episodic memory capacity depends on a fundamental neural circuit that is similar across mammalian and avian species, suggesting that protoepisodic memory systems exist across amniotes and, possibly, all vertebrates. The implication is that episodic memory in diverse species may primarily be due to a shared underlying neural ancestry, rather than the result of evolutionary convergence. We also discuss potential advantages that episodic memory may offer, as well as species-specific divergences that have developed on top of the fundamental episodic memory architecture. We conclude by identifying possible time points for the emergence of episodic memory in evolution, to help guide further research in this area.
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44
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Beadle JN, Tranel D, Cohen NJ, Duff MC. Empathy in hippocampal amnesia. Front Psychol 2013; 4:69. [PMID: 23526601 PMCID: PMC3605505 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy is critical to the quality of our relationships with others and plays an important role in life satisfaction and well-being. The scientific investigation of empathy has focused on characterizing its cognitive and neural substrates, and has pointed to the importance of a network of brain regions involved in emotional experience and perspective taking (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, anterior insula, cingulate). While the hippocampus has rarely been the focus of empathy research, the hallmark properties of the hippocampal declarative memory system (e.g., representational flexibility, relational binding, on-line processing capacity) make it well-suited to meet some of the crucial demands of empathy, and a careful investigation of this possibility could make a significant contribution to the neuroscientific understanding of empathy. The present study is a preliminary investigation of the role of the hippocampal declarative memory system in empathy. Participants were three patients (1 female) with focal, bilateral hippocampal (HC) damage and severe declarative memory impairments and three healthy demographically matched comparison participants. Empathy was measured as a trait through a battery of gold standard questionnaires and through on-line ratings and prosocial behavior in response to a series of empathy inductions. Patients with hippocampal amnesia reported lower cognitive and emotional trait empathy than healthy comparison participants. Unlike healthy comparison participants, in response to the empathy inductions hippocampal patients reported no increase in empathy ratings or prosocial behavior. The results provide preliminary evidence for a role for hippocampal declarative memory in empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. N. Beadle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa College of MedicineIowa City, IA, USA
| | - D. Tranel
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa College of MedicineIowa City, IA, USA
| | - N. J. Cohen
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIL, USA
| | - M. C. Duff
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa College of MedicineIowa City, IA, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of IowaIowa City, IA, USA
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Rabin JS, Carson N, Gilboa A, Stuss DT, Rosenbaum RS. Imagining Other People's Experiences in a Person with Impaired Episodic Memory: The Role of Personal Familiarity. Front Psychol 2013; 3:588. [PMID: 23355827 PMCID: PMC3553401 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2012] [Accepted: 12/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Difficulties remembering one’s own experiences via episodic memory may affect the ability to imagine other people’s experiences during theory of mind (ToM). Previous work shows that the same set of brain regions recruited during tests of episodic memory and future imagining are also engaged during standard laboratory tests of ToM. However, hippocampal amnesic patients who show deficits in past and future thinking, show intact performance on ToM tests, which involve unknown people or fictional characters. Here we present data from a developmental amnesic person (H.C.) and a group of demographically matched controls, who were tested on a naturalistic test of ToM that involved describing other people’s experiences in response to photos of personally familiar others (“pToM” condition) and unfamiliar others (“ToM” condition). We also included a condition that involved recollecting past experiences in response to personal photos (“EM” condition). Narratives were scored using an adapted Autobiographical Interview scoring procedure. Due to the visually rich stimuli, internal details were further classified as either descriptive (i.e., details that describe the visual content of the photo) or elaborative (i.e., details that go beyond what is visually depicted in the photo). Relative to controls, H.C. generated significantly fewer elaborative details in response to the pToM and EM photos and an equivalent number of elaborative details in response to the ToM photos. These data converge with previous neuroimaging results showing that the brain regions underlying pToM and episodic memory overlap to a greater extent than those supporting ToM. Taken together, these results suggest that detailed episodic representations supported by the hippocampus may be pivotal for imagining the experiences of personally familiar, but not unfamiliar, others.
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