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，记忆中包含什么信息，以及支持记忆的神经区域。在之前授权期的五年里，我们使用眼球追踪、神经心理学和神经成像研究来证明海马体(HC)对于跨越空间和时间绑定信息是重要的。此外，我们还发现，HC在结构和功能上与眼动系统有很好的整合，这表明眼球运动可能是记忆形成和提取的重要机制。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，观众往往会用眼睛重温之前被占据的位置，这种现象被称为“什么都不看”。当实时地形成或重构表示，并且信息被保持在活动状态中或从存储器中取出时，可能发生“不看任何东西”。然而，仍然有机会通过编程探索眼球运动在(重建)记忆构建中的作用来测试这一想法。我们认为，视觉探索可能是建立时空框架的关键，在该框架上结合了细节，允许检索记忆，或用于想象未来的情景。在拟议的工作中，我们将结合眼球追踪和功能磁共振成像(FMRI)来调查：*1)在记忆提取和未来想象任务中进行的眼动与提供的时空顺序信息量有关的程度*2)当眼动检索记忆并构建包括空间和时间顺序信息的未来情景时，参与的神经机制*我们预计这项工作的发现将表明，眼动系统提供了一种时空布局，其中信息(对象，人)可以由HC嵌入和绑定到持久表示中，并且随后被检索。这项研究计划将通过详细说明眼动系统在记忆中的机械作用来改变我们对记忆是如何建立的理解。这项研究将为受训者提供独特的机会，利用最先进的技术获得尖端经验，以促进我们对记忆和眼动系统的多方面作用的理解。

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.