The role of eye movements in memory reconstruction

我们研究计划的首要目标是了解记忆的本质，包括记忆是如何建立的、记忆中包含哪些信息以及支持记忆的神经区域。在前一个授予期的五年中，我们使用了眼动追踪，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绑定信息非常重要。此外，我们已经表明，HC是很好的整合结构和功能与眼动系统，这表明眼球运动可能是一个重要的机制，记忆的形成和检索。在编码过程中限制眼球运动会阻碍记忆的发展。类似地，在记忆排练或记忆检索期间，观众经常会用眼睛重新访问先前占据的位置，这种现象被称为“什么都不看”。 “什么都不看”可能发生在一个表征在真实的时间中形成或重建时，信息要么保持在活动状态，要么从记忆中产生。 然而，仍然有机会通过程序化地探索眼球运动在记忆（重建）中的作用来测试这一想法。 我们认为，视觉探索可能是至关重要的建立时空框架上的细节被纳入，允许记忆被检索，或用于想象未来的场景。在拟议的工作中，我们将联合收割机与功能磁共振成像（fMRI）相结合，以调查：**1）在记忆提取和未来想象任务中进行的眼动与提供的空间和时间顺序信息量相关的程度 **2）参与眼动的神经机制提取记忆并构建包括空间和时间顺序信息的未来场景 ** 我们希望这项工作的发现将表明，眼动系统提供了一个空间和时间布局，信息可以在其上传递。（对象，人）可以被嵌入并绑定到持久的表示由HC和随后检索。这项研究计划将改变我们对记忆是如何建立的理解，详细说明眼神经系统在记忆中的机械作用。这项研究将为学员提供独特的机会，利用最先进的技术获得最前沿的经验，以促进我们对记忆和眼科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.