The Role of the Hippocampus in Spatial Memory

该方案的目的是利用各种空间记忆任务来研究海马体(HPC)在空间记忆中的功能作用。这些任务中的每一个都是人类任务的模拟版本，这些任务已经被广泛开发并被证明对非人类的HPC损伤很敏感。耶鲁大学的fMRI小组最近开发了一种fMRI方法，可以精确检测HPC的功能活动变化；在此之前，这种结构由于靠近骨骼和鼻窦而极难成像，这会导致信号丢失和空间扭曲。此外，这些研究的目的是检查观察到的HPC活动的变化是否与这些任务中的空间表现相关。神经学正常的参与者和癫痫患者都将接受测试。神经学正常的参与者将提供一个对照组，用于与患者进行比较，以及提供一个小组来试验额外的空间记忆任务。通过检查HPC在单侧HPC切除前和术后的功能作用，可以对HPC的功能有更好的了解。此外，这些信息在指导神经外科手术中可能是必不可少的，以便在最大限度地减少切除关键组织的数量的同时最大化手术的好处。

The goal of this proposal is to utilize a variety of spatial memory tasks to examine the functional role of the hippocampus (HPC) in spatial memory. Each of these tasks is a human analogue version of tasks that have been extensively developed and demonstrated to be sensitive to HPC damage in nonhumans. The fMRI group at Yale has recently developed an fMRI methodology that allows for precise detection of functional activity changes in the HPC; a structure that, before this development, has been extremely difficult to image due to its proximity to bone and sinuses which cause signal loss and spatial distortions. In addition, it is an aim of these studies to examine whether the observed changes in HPC activity correlate with spatial performance in these tasks. Both neurologically normal participants and patients with epilepsy will be tested. The neurologically normal participants will provide a control group for comparing with the patients as well as providing a group for piloting additional spatial memory tasks. By examining the functional role of the HPC in patients both before unilateral HPC resection and afterwards, a better understanding of HPC functioning can be obtained. Moreover, this information may be essential in guiding the neurosurgery so as to maximize the benefits of the surgery while minimizing the amount of critical tissue that is removed.