A Neurocognitive Mechanism for Precision of Visual Working Memory Representations

这项拟议中的研究将探索维持大脑活动的核心认知和神经机制。 精确的心理表征。目前的研究表明 不精确的工作记忆是精神疾病的一个关键认知功能障碍， 导致了“脑雾”的常见症状（例如，记忆模糊）的患者 紊乱对精确记忆的认知和神经机制有了更多的了解， 这不仅是为了进一步了解我们的总体情况， 在健康的大脑人类心灵的架构，而且还奠定了基础，未来的临床 研究精神障碍中的认知功能障碍，包括精神分裂症谱系障碍。 精神分裂症谱系障碍工作记忆及其缺陷的研究 在过去的几十年里，人们一直强调工作记忆的数量方面（容量）， 相应的神经机制。然而，直到最近，研究才开始建立 保持信息的定性方面（精确度）的理论和翻译意义 在工作记忆中。该项目将调查的过程和电路，支持代表 并使用新的行为组合在工作记忆中保留精确的信息 范例、个体差异、非侵入性脑刺激和功能性磁共振 显像一种新的认知和神经机制，即模式分离（目标2）， 海马齿状回亚区（目标3），被假设为在工作中的精神清晰度的基础 记忆（目标1），基于大量的文献模式分离和新兴的状态模型， 假设短期记忆和长期记忆之间有密切关系的记忆。结果 将直接投入我们正在进行的关于精神分裂症模糊记忆的转化研究（目标4） 谱系障碍，包括遗传型（高风险个体对高风险个体） 精神病症状）。 本项目将使人们更清楚地了解工作中的功能限制， 记忆，这将为未来的研究建立基础科学支柱，旨在了解 并治疗精神分裂症谱系障碍的认知功能障碍。

The proposed research will explore the core cognitive and neural mechanisms for maintaining precise mental representations over a few seconds in working memory. Current research indicates that imprecise working memory is a key cognitive dysfunction in mental illness, which may be responsible for a common complaint of “brain fog” (e.g., blurry memory) from patients with mental disorders. Greater knowledge of the cognitive and neural mechanisms by which precise memory representations are maintained is pivotal not only to further our understanding of the overall architecture of the human mind in the healthy brain, but also to lay the groundwork for future clinical research on cognitive dysfunctions in mental disorders, including schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The research on working memory and its deficits in schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the past several decades has emphasized the quantitative aspect (capacity) of working memory and the corresponding neural mechanisms. However, only until recently has research begun to establish the theoretical and translational significance of the qualitative aspect (precision) of information maintained in working memory. The project will investigate the process and circuitry that support representing and retaining precise information in working memory using a combination of novel behavioral paradigms, individual differences, non-invasive brain stimulation, and functional magnetic resonance imaging. A novel cognitive and neural mechanism, namely pattern separation (Aim 2) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus subfield (Aim 3), is hypothesized to underlie mental clarity in working memory (Aim 1), based on the large literature on pattern separation and the emerging state model of memory that postulates a close relationship between short-term and long-term memories. The results will feed directly into our ongoing translational research (Aim 4) on foggy memory in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, including schizotypy (individuals at high risk for individuals at high-risk for psychosis symptoms). The present project will provide a clearer understanding of the functional limitations in working memory, which will establish the basic science backbone for future research designed to understand and treat cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.