Testing a Novel Theoretical Framework for the Human Medial Temporal Lobes in Perception and Memory During Spatial Navigation

 描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的目标是测试一种新的理论框架，该框架涉及人类内侧颞叶的记忆和导航功能。虽然在大鼠和人类中进行的大量研究表明内侧颞叶对导航和记忆的重要性，但这两种功能仍然联系不清。我们的理论框架认为，人类内侧颞叶的损伤导致高分辨率感知和记忆细节结合的缺陷。因此，该模型的一个预测是，内侧颞叶损伤的患者在导航期间将表现出编码高分辨率空间细节的缺陷。这将具体表现在导航过程中的空间精度受损，而不是患者是否使用远端标志（非自我中心）或自我定向（自我中心）线索来导航。这与其他模型的导航，MTL损伤将损害allocentric，但不是自我中心的导航。我们将测试我们的模型，让患者在一个大型竞技场中导航，寻找一个隐藏的平台，并将他们的表现与一组年龄和智商匹配的健康对照组进行比较。我们的模型的第二个预测是，内侧颞叶损伤将损害导航过程中时空细节的结合。我们将通过比较患者在必须记住多个空间位置时的表现来测试我们模型的预测。我们预计，与对照组相比，患者的表现会随着他们必须记住的位置数量的增加而恶化。这与其他导航和记忆模型的预测相反，这些模型表明，无论患者必须记住多少个位置，都存在非中心记忆障碍。因此，我们的模型提供了新的但可测试的预测，这R03种子赠款将有助于帮助我们发展。使用虚拟现实和高分辨率磁共振成像（MRI）等针对内侧颞叶的创新工具，也将进一步加深我们对中风等神经疾病如何影响大脑功能和认知的理解。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to test a novel theoretical framework that relates memory and navigation functions of the human medial temporal lobes. While numerous studies in rats and humans suggest the importance of the medial temporal lobes to navigation and memory, these two functions remains poorly linked. Our theoretical framework argues that damage to the human medial temporal lobes results in deficits in both high-resolution perception and binding of details in memory. Thus, one prediction of this model is that patients with medial temporal lobe damage will show deficits in encoding high-resolution spatial details during navigation. This will manifest specifically in impairments in spatial precison during navigation rather than whether patients use distal landmarks (allocentric) or self-orientation (egocentric) cues to navigate. This contrasts with other models of navigation that suggest that MTL damage will impair allocentric but not egocentric navigation. We will test our model by having patients navigate a large arena, searching for a hidden platform, and compare their performance with a group of age and IQ matched healthy controls. A second prediction of our model is that medial temporal lobe damage will impair binding of spatiotemporal details during navigation. We will test this prediction of our model by comparing patient performance when they must remember multiple spatial locations over trials. We expect patient performance to worsen as a function of the number of locations they must remember compared to controls. This contrasts with the predictions of other models of navigation and memory, which suggest impairments in allocentric memory regardless of the number of locations the patient must remember. Our model thus provides novel yet testable predictions that this R03 seed grant will be instrumental in helping us to develop. Use of innovative tools such as virtual reality and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) targeting the medial temporal lobes will also further our understanding of how neural disease such as stroke impacts both brain function and cognition more generally.