The role of eye movements in memory reconstruction

我们研究项目的首要目标是了解记忆的本质，包括记忆是如何形成的，记忆中包含什么信息，以及支持记忆的神经区域。在前五年的授权期内，我们使用了眼球追踪、神经心理学和神经影像学研究来证明海马体（HC）对于跨越空间和时间的信息绑定很重要。此外，我们已经证明，前皮层在结构和功能上与动眼肌系统很好地整合在一起，这表明眼球运动可能是记忆形成和检索的重要机制。在编码过程中限制眼球运动会阻碍记忆的发展。同样，在记忆排练或记忆提取过程中，观众经常会用他们的眼睛重新审视以前占据的位置，这种现象被称为“什么都不看”。“什么都不看”可能发生在表征形成或重构的实时过程中，信息要么保持在活跃状态，要么从记忆中提取出来。然而，仍然有机会通过程序化地探索眼球运动在记忆（重新）构建中的作用来验证这一观点。我们认为，视觉探索可能对建立时空框架至关重要，在此框架上整合细节，允许检索记忆，或用于想象未来的场景。在建议的工作中，我们将结合眼动追踪和功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）来研究：******1)在记忆检索和未来想象任务中，眼动在多大程度上与所提供的空间和时间顺序信息的数量有关******2)在眼动检索记忆和构建包括空间和时间顺序信息的未来情景时所参与的神经机制******我们期待这项工作的发现将展示动眼肌系统提供了一个空间和时间布局，信息（物体，人）可以被嵌入并绑定到HC的持久表征中，并随后被检索。这个研究项目将通过详细阐述动眼肌系统在记忆中的机械作用来改变我们对记忆是如何形成的理解。这项研究将为受训者提供独特的机会，通过使用最先进的技术来获得尖端的经验，以促进我们对记忆和动眼肌系统多方面作用的理解。

The overarching goals of our research program are to understand the nature of memory, including how memories are built, what information is contained within memory, and the neural regions that support memory. During the five years of the previous granting period, we have used eyetracking, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging studies to demonstrate that the hippocampus (HC) is important for binding information across space and time. Further, we have shown that the HC is well integrated structurally and functionally with the oculomotor system, suggesting that eye movements may be an important mechanism by which memories are formed and retrieved. Restricting eye movements during encoding hinders the development of memories. Similarly, during memory rehearsal or memory retrieval, viewers will often revisit previously occupied locations with their eyes, a phenomenon known as “looking at nothing”. “Looking at nothing” may occur as a representation is formed, or reconstructed, in real time, and information is either maintained in an active state or brought forth from memory. However, there remains an opportunity to test this idea by programmatically exploring the role of eye movements in the (re)construction of memory. We suggest that visual exploration may be critical for establishing spatiotemporal frameworks onto which details are incorporated, allowing for memories to be retrieved, or used to imagine future scenarios. In the proposed work, we will combine eyetracking with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate:******1) the extent to which eye movements that are made during tasks of memory retrieval and future imagining are related to the amount of spatial and temporal order information that is provided******2) the neural mechanisms that are engaged as eye movements retrieve memories and construct future scenarios that include spatial and temporal order information ******We expect that findings from this work will show that the oculomotor system provides a spatial and temporal layout onto which information (objects, people) can be embedded and bound into a lasting representation by the HC and subsequently retrieved. This research program will change our understanding of how memories are built by detailing the mechanistic role of the oculomotor system in memory. This research will provide unique opportunities for trainees to gain cutting-edge experience using the most advanced techniques to advance our understanding of memory and the multi-faceted role of the oculomotor system.