A Neurocognitive Mechanism for Precision of Visual Working Memory Representations

这项拟议的研究将探索维持的核心认知和神经机制 在工作记忆中的几秒钟内精确的心理表达。目前的研究表明 不精确的工作记忆是精神疾病中的一个关键认知功能障碍，这可能是 对精神病患者常见的“脑雾”(例如，记忆模糊)负责 精神错乱。对精确记忆的认知和神经机制有更多的了解 申述的维护不仅对我们加深对整体的理解至关重要 架构人类大脑中的健康大脑，也为今后的临床奠定基础 精神障碍，包括精神分裂症谱系障碍的认知功能障碍的研究。 精神分裂症谱系障碍患者工作记忆及其缺陷的研究 在过去的几十年里，工作记忆强调了数量方面(容量)和 相应的神经机制。然而，直到最近，研究才开始确立 信息质量方面(精确度)的理论和翻译意义 在工作记忆中。该项目将调查支持表示的工艺和电路 以及使用新的行为组合在工作记忆中保留准确的信息 范例、个体差异、非侵入性脑刺激和功能磁共振 成像。一种新的认知和神经机制，即模式分离(目标2)在 海马齿状回亚区(目标3)，被认为是工作中精神清醒的基础 Memory(目标1)，基于关于模式分离和新兴状态模型的大量文献 认为短期记忆和长期记忆之间存在密切关系的记忆。结果是 将直接提供给我们正在进行的关于精神分裂症模糊记忆的翻译研究(目标4) 谱系障碍，包括分裂型(高危个体 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，旨在理解 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.