Neural Mechanisms of Short-Term Memory

短期记忆的神经机制

• 批准号: 0822748
• 负责人: John Jonides
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0822748&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Neural; Mechanisms; Short; Term; Memory

Complex tasks frequently require holding in mind several ideas at once. For example, when performing mental addition we must juggle several numbers in mind while applying operations to update those numbers. It is well-established that there are distinct limits to the amount of information that can be held in mind at any given time and that these limits have a close relationship to our abilities to reason and to comprehend -- in short, to our intelligence. However, the fundamental architecture of the short-term memory system responsible for these capacity limits remains unclear. Recent psychological research suggests that distinctions can be drawn between a single piece of information at the forefront of the mind, other information that is being held in mind, but currently not the focus of attention, and information that is not being held in mind, but available in long-term memory. The goal of this project is to understand the brain mechanisms responsible for representing these different states of information. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. John Jonides and colleagues at the University of Michigan will investigate the architecture of short-term memory using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The research will examine neural responses as human volunteers retain, retrieve, and update information in the various putative states of short-term memory. In addition to traditional measures that afford brain localization of function, the research will employ analyses that examine functional networks of brain activation, thus elucidating brain mechanisms by which short-term memory is achieved. The work will also examine neural responses to different types of information, such as verbal, spatial, and pictorial information and examine the brain networks involved in subserving short-term memory of each form.Since much of human intelligence depends on capacity limits of short-term memory, understanding how the brain implements short-term memory could have substantial impact on cognition as a whole. The understanding furthered by this research may inform methods that aim to increase short-term memory capacity and intelligence. This research project will also provide comprehensive training functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques to undergraduate and graduate students involved in the project. Findings from this study will be disseminated widely through publications and a seminar.

复杂的任务经常需要同时记住几个想法。 例如，当进行心算加法时，我们必须在脑海中处理几个数字，同时应用操作来更新这些数字。 众所周知，在任何给定的时间里，人们能够记住的信息量都有明显的限制，这些限制与我们的推理和理解能力密切相关，简言之，与我们的智力密切相关。 然而，短期记忆系统的基本架构负责这些容量限制仍然不清楚。 最近的心理学研究表明，可以区分处于大脑最前沿的一条信息，其他正在脑海中的信息，但目前不是注意力的焦点，以及不在脑海中的信息，但可以在长期记忆中获得。 这个项目的目标是了解负责代表这些不同状态的信息的大脑机制。 在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，密歇根大学的John Jonides博士和同事将使用功能性磁共振成像来研究短期记忆的结构。 这项研究将检查人类志愿者在短期记忆的各种假定状态下保留，检索和更新信息的神经反应。 除了提供大脑功能定位的传统措施外，该研究还将采用分析来检查大脑激活的功能网络，从而阐明实现短期记忆的大脑机制。 这项工作还将研究神经对不同类型的信息的反应，如语言，空间和图片信息，并研究参与维护每种形式的短期记忆的大脑网络。由于人类的智力很大程度上取决于短期记忆的容量限制，了解大脑如何实现短期记忆可能会对整个认知产生重大影响。 这项研究进一步加深的理解可能会为旨在提高短期记忆能力和智力的方法提供信息。 本研究计画也将提供全面的训练功能性磁振造影技术给参与计画的本科生和研究生。 这项研究的结果将通过出版物和研讨会广泛传播。