Noninvasive modulation of prefrontal contributions to the organization of episodic memories

 描述（由申请人提供）：前额叶皮层与长期情景记忆的形成有关，尽管其贡献尚未完全明确。本项目的主要目的是评估非侵入性脑刺激对特定前额叶过程的选择性调节的效用，这些过程有助于情景记忆。我们的方法是基于这样一个概念，即依赖于露营的关系绑定通过将事件中发生的各种景象、声音、想法和其他内容与独特的上下文和时间联系起来来构建情景记忆。我们假设，特定的前额叶皮层区域的选择和组织成一个连贯的结构结合海马的各种情节组件的结合过程中作出了重大贡献。我们建议使用经颅磁刺激暂时调节健康成人这些区域的功能。的影响 将使用复杂的认知神经科学范例来评估这种对记忆的调节，以识别有助于情景记忆的前额叶选择/组织过程的行为和神经相关物，其与有助于情景记忆的其他并发前额叶过程不同。这些范例混合操作的主动与被动学习与敏感的行为和眼动跟踪措施，以提供高特异性不同的前额叶过程中情节记忆的形成。这将允许使用经颅磁刺激来彻底评估调节特定前额叶过程对记忆形成的贡献的能力。功能性神经成像将用于评估非侵入性刺激对记忆的影响机制。验证非侵入性脑刺激的选择性调制特定的前额叶贡献情节记忆将打开大门，前额叶贡献的记忆和其他认知功能的强因果测试，并可能激励新的刺激为基础的干预措施，神经精神和神经系统疾病的前额叶皮层。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Prefrontal cortex has been implicated in the formation of long-term episodic memories, although its contributions have not been fully specified. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate the utility of noninvasive brain stimulation for selectve modulation of specific prefrontal processes that contribute to episodic memory. Our approach is based on the notion that hippocampal-dependent relational binding builds episodic memories by linking the various sights, sounds, thoughts, and other content that occur with unique context and timing during events. We hypothesize that specific prefrontal cortical regions contribute critically to this binding process by selecting and organizing the various episode components into a coherent structure for binding by hippocampus. We propose to temporarily modulate the function of these regions in healthy adults using transcranial magnetic stimulation. The effects of this modulation on memory will be assessed using sophisticated cognitive neuroscience paradigms to identify behavioral and neural correlates of prefrontal selection/organization processes that contribute to episodic memory as distinct from other concurrent prefrontal processes that contribute to episodic memory. These paradigms blend manipulations of active versus passive learning with sensitive behavioral and eye-movement tracking measures to provide high specificity to distinct prefrontal processes during episodic memory formation. This will allow thorough evaluation of the ability to modulate specific prefrontal processes contributin to memory formation using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Functional neuroimaging will be used to assess mechanisms for effects of noninvasive stimulation on memory. Validation of noninvasive brain stimulation for the selective modulation of specific prefrontal contributions to episodic memory would open the door for strong causal tests of prefrontal contributions to memory and other cognitive functions and could motivate new stimulation-based interventions for neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders of prefrontal cortex.