Vestibular loss causes hippocampal atrophy and impaired spatial memory in humans
Vestibular loss causes hippocampal atrophy and impaired spatial memory in humans
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DOI：
10.1093/brain/awh617
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发表时间：
2005-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
14.5
通讯作者：
Strupp, M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Brandt, T;Schautzer, F;Strupp, M
人类海马结构在记忆处理的各个方面起着至关重要的作用。大多数关于人类海马的文献强调其非空间记忆功能，但啮齿动物和其他一些物种的早期工作也强调海马在空间学习和记忆中的作用。一些人类研究也指出了海马体大小、导航和空间记忆之间的直接关系。相反，前庭系统对于导航和空间记忆的重要性直到现在才在动物身上得到令人信服的证明。使用磁共振成像容积测定法，我们发现，患者（n = 10）获得性慢性双侧前庭损失（BVL）发展的海马体的显着选择性萎缩（16.9%减少相对于对照组）。当用Morris水任务的虚拟变体（在PC上）进行测试时，这些患者表现出明显的空间记忆和导航缺陷，与海马萎缩的模式密切匹配。这些空间记忆缺陷与一般记忆缺陷无关。BVL患者和双侧海马萎缩的当前数据恢复了这样一种观点，即在导航记忆处理的空间方面，主皮质海马组织的主要功能（可能是遗传学上的古老功能）仍然很明显。此外，这些数据首次在人类中证明，空间导航严重依赖于保留的前庭功能，即使当受试者静止时，例如没有任何实际的前庭或体感刺激。
The human hippocampal formation plays a crucial role in various aspects of memory processing. Most literature on the human hippocampus stresses its non-spatial memory functions, but older work in rodents and some other species emphasized the role of the hippocampus in spatial learning and memory as well. A few human studies also point to a direct relation between hippocampal size, navigation and spatial memory. Conversely, the importance of the vestibular system for navigation and spatial memory was until now convincingly demonstrated only in animals. Using magnetic resonance imaging volumetry, we found that patients (n = 10) with acquired chronic bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) develop a significant selective atrophy of the hippocampus (16.9% decrease relative to controls). When tested with a virtual variant (on a PC) of the Morris water task these patients exhibited significant spatial memory and navigation deficits that closely matched the pattern of hippocampal atrophy. These spatial memory deficits were not associated with general memory deficits. The current data on BVL patients and bilateral hippocampal atrophy revive the idea that a major-and probably phylogenetically ancient-function of the archicortical hippocampal tissue is still evident in spatial aspects of memory processing for navigation. Furthermore, these data demonstrate for the first time in humans that spatial navigation critically depends on preserved vestibular function, even when the subjects are stationary, e.g. without any actual vestibular or somatosensory stimulation.