IMAGING STUDIES OF LEARNING AND MEMORY

本研究的主要目的是利用现代功能性 正常受试者的神经成像，以表征与 外显记忆和技能学习的特定方面。这项建议 侧重于三个具体的研究领域，包括： 1)实验旨在确定大脑区域在各种 编码和检索任务。 外显（或陈述）记忆模型 通常包括与选择要存储的信息有关的过程， 该信息的编码、信息存储和信息 检索本文是对以往有关脑功能解剖学工作的一个扩展， 检索过程和开始探索大脑区域相关 编码过程中提出的。 2.旨在确定哪些任务要求调节血流的实验 在内侧颞叶区域，特别是海马体。因为 内侧颞叶受损，尤其是海马体， 邻近结构，产生外显（或 陈述性）记忆，很多注意力都集中在海马 对记忆的贡献。实验提出了探索 海马区可能对记忆的贡献，重点是 与编码的特定方面相关的想法。 3.旨在探索技能的功能解剖学实验 学习在失忆症患者中，技能学习似乎是完整的。 技能学习还显示了可以通过以下方式实现的几个属性： 不同的神经系统例如，从这个收集的证据和 其他的实验室也支持这一假设， 在熟练和不熟练的情况下， 版本.实验提出评估这些的一般性 方面的影响.提出了进一步的实验来探索的其他性质， 技能学习，包括通过多个技能阶段 将简单的技能分成更复杂的单元， 高级运动程序的分层编码。 虽然这项建议侧重于正常受试者的记忆和学习， 从这些研究中获得的知识应该在广泛的范围内具有相关性， 健康问题。记忆障碍是最悲惨的后果之一 退化性疾病，如阿尔茨海默病和其他 痴呆症，以及即使在正常衰老中也经常抱怨。一个 对正常人类记忆生物学的理解， 加深我们对这些健康问题的理解， 接近他们的解决方案。

The major goal of the proposed research is to employ modern functional neuroimaging in normal subjects to characterize brain areas related to specific aspects of explicit memory and skill learning. This proposal focuses on three specific areas of research including: 1) experiments designed to identify brain regions used during various encoding and retrieval tasks. Models of explicit (or declarative) memory often include processes related to selection of information to be stored, encoding of that information, information storage, and information retrieval. An extension of previous work on the functional anatomy of retrieval processes and a beginning exploration of brain regions related to encoding processes are proposed. 2. experiments designed to determine what task demands modulate blood flow in medial temporal lobe regions particularly in the hippocampus. Because damage to the medial temporal lobe, particularly the hippocampus and adjacent structures, produces specific deficits in explicit (or declarative) memory, much attention has been focused on the hippocampal contribution to memory. Experiments are proposed to explore the contribution the hippocampal regions might make to memory, focusing on ideas related to specific aspects of encoding. 3. experiments designed to explore the functional anatomy of skill learning. Skill learning appears to be intact in amnesic individuals. Skill learning also shows several properties that may be implemented by different neural systems. For example, evidence gathered from this and other laboratories supports the hypothesis that different brain regions are used in the performance of very similar tasks in skilled and unskilled versions. Experiments are proposed to assess the generality of these effects. Further experiments are proposed to explore other properties of skill learning, including passage through multiple stages of skill acquisition, chunking of simple skills Into more complex units, and hierarchical encoding of high-level motor programs. While this proposal focuses on memory and learning in normal subjects, the knowledge gained from such studies should be relevant across a wide range of health issues. Memory impairment is one of the most tragic consequences of degenerative illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, as well as being a frequent complaint even in normal aging. An understanding of the normal human biology of memory can not help but to deepen our understanding of these health problems and lead to better approaches to their solution.