Neural basis of the memory for sequences of events: A synergistic approach in rats and humans

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The capacity to remember where and when certain events occur in one's life is of critical importance for survival and for participation in society function. This capacity, called episodic memory, is associated with the functions of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Several neurological and psychiatric disorders involve dysfunctions in these brain regions. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Norbert Fortin and colleague Dr. Craig Stark of the University of California at Irvine respectively will conduct an innovative series of parallel experiments in humans and rats, which are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying both normal and abnormal memory functions. This cross-species investigation will utilize a memory task that can be performed by humans and the rats, which is critical to make findings from animal studies relevant to our understanding of human memory and treatment of its deficit. This project will also provide an opportunity to develop effective educational practices and materials to promote early science training and awareness. These educational activities have a special emphasis on groups underrepresented in science (women and minority students), including a "Memory and the Brain" workshop that will be offered at schools with diverse student populations that also consistently perform below standard on the science portion of the California Standards Tests. Although episodic memory has been extensively investigated, its neurobiological basis remains elusive. A major reason for this limited progress has been the inability to directly link evidence obtained from invasive techniques used in animal models (e.g. rodents) with that from non-invasive techniques used in humans because of differences in the demands of memory tasks used across these two species. Drs. Fortin and Stark will address this critical issue by using an integrated approach combining single-cell electrophysiological recordings in rats and BOLD fMRI in humans, to study episodic memory using their newly developed sequence memory task that can be performed by both rats and humans. This cross-species study will provide the first systematic examination of the functional correspondence between rodent and human sub-regions of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, known to play a critical role in memory and other higher-level cognitive functions. The knowledge gained from this study will significantly advance our understanding of the contribution of these brain structures to the memory for sequences of events, as well as of their fundamental role in learning and memory, executive functions, and decision-making.