Information & Hierarchical Organization in the Neural Systems for Working Memory

信息

• 批准号: 8307993
• 负责人: SUSAN M COURTNEY-FARUQEE
• 金额: $ 44.86万
• 依托单位: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-07 至 2014-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8307993
• 关键词: Address; Anterior; Area; Behavior; Behavioral; Brain; Brain region; Code; Cognition; Cognitive; Color; Dependence; Dependency; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Goals; Health; Impaired cognition; Impairment; Individual; Lateral; Lead; Link; Location; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Maintenance; Measures; Medial; Memory; Mental disorders; Mission; Modeling; Multiple Sclerosis; Parietal; Parietal Lobe; Pattern; Performance; Population; Prefrontal Cortex; Prevention; Process; Research; Rewards; Role; Sensory; Short-Term Memory; Signal Transduction; Stimulus; System; Temporal Lobe; Testing; Time; Update; base; cognitive function; cognitive system; executive function; healthy volunteer; information processing; nervous system disorder; neural patterning; neuromechanism; programs; relating to nervous system; research study; response; theories; white matter; white matter damage; young adult

Our long-term objective is to understand the neural mechanisms that enable currently relevant information to optimally influence cognition and behavior. As the next step in achieving this objective, the goal of this proposed project is to test the hypothesis that the neural system for working memory (WM) is information-domain-dependent and hierarchically organized. We propose that items, such as objects, words, and locations, are represented at the lower levels of this hierarchy while information about relationships among these objects and with potential responses and rewards is represented at higher levels of this hierarchy in more anterior regions of the prefrontal cortex using similar neural mechanisms for both types of information. We will test this hypothesis using functional and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging in healthy young adults, and individuals with multiple sclerosis. We will measure the effects of memory load, repetition, and updating on the fMRI activation magnitude and pattern, directly comparing these effects for item vs. relational information. fMRI functional connectivity during WM for items will be contrasted to functional connectivity during WM for relations to ascertain whether interactions among prefrontal areas and between prefrontal areas and sensory areas are different for these different information types. The necessity of these interactions will be tested by using DTI tractography in individuals with multiple sclerosis to test whether WM performance for items depends on the integrity of different white matter tracts than does WM for relational information. The study aims to test whether a conceptual link can be identified between working memory maintenance of items, such as objects, locations, and words, which has been extensively studied, and "executive control" functions, which are much less well understood. This goal is highly relevant to the mission of the agency because these higher cognitive functions are disrupted in many mental disorders and neurological diseases. Without a clear understanding of the neural systems that make these abilities possible, we have little to offer for treatment or prevention of cognitive dysfunction.

我们的长期目标是了解目前能够 相关信息，以最佳方式影响认知和行为。作为下一步， 为实现这一目标，本拟议项目的目标是检验以下假设： 工作记忆（WM）的神经系统是信息域依赖的， 按等级组织的。我们建议，项目，如对象，单词和位置， 表示在该层次结构的较低级别，而关于关系的信息 在这些对象中，具有潜在响应和奖励的对象表示为较高的 这种层次结构在前额叶皮层的更前部区域的水平， 这两种信息的神经机制。我们将测试这个假设， 健康年轻人的功能和解剖磁共振成像，以及 多发性硬化症患者我们将测量记忆负荷的影响， 重复，并直接更新fMRI激活幅度和模式， 比较项目与关系信息的这些影响。fMRI功能连接 在WM期间，项目的功能连接将与WM期间关系的功能连接进行对比 以确定前额叶区域之间以及前额叶区域之间的相互作用 而感觉区域对于不同的信息类型是不同的。的必要性 这些相互作用将通过使用DTI纤维束成像在患有多个疾病的个体中进行测试。 硬化，以测试是否WM性能的项目取决于不同的完整性 对于关系信息，白色物质比WM更有吸引力。该研究旨在测试 工作记忆的维持与 项目，如对象，位置和单词，已被广泛研究， “执行控制”功能，这是不太好理解。这一目标高度 与机构的使命相关，因为这些高级认知功能 在许多精神障碍和神经系统疾病中受到破坏。没有明确 了解使这些能力成为可能的神经系统，我们几乎没有什么可以 用于治疗或预防认知功能障碍。