Hippocampal-cortical interactions underlying the long-term processing of spatial memories throughout the lifespan.

长期记忆获得和保持的神经机制是神秘的。在过去的70年里，神经科学家一直在揭示记忆的存储、检索和丢失的过程，但仍有许多东西有待发现。大多数对记忆过程的研究都集中在成年人和老年人的大脑上，特别是在这些时间段内记忆丢失的方式。然而，一个同样重要但研究较少的主题是青少年或发育中的大脑处理和存储记忆的方式。尤其重要的是要更全面地了解记忆是如何被发育中的青少年大脑处理的，因为这些记忆可能在为成年期的认知功能奠定基础方面发挥关键作用，在衰老期间的记忆稳定性，甚至更广泛地说，我们与环境的日常互动。拟议的研究计划的主要目标是研究记忆功能的青少年啮齿动物，重点是细胞和神经系统动力学的关键方面，这些方面是记忆表征长期储存的基础。这项工作的新奇和重要性在于，关于存储在青少年大脑中的记忆的命运知之甚少，因此阐明可能有助于更全面地了解基本的记忆过程。这项工作对神经科学领域的总体意义是，从长远来看，它将阐明记忆在大脑中是如何和在哪里表现的。这项研究旨在提供必要的基础知识，以了解长期记忆如何在大脑不断变化的情况下持续存在。当考虑到其对理解和治疗由于大脑损伤或老化而引起的记忆障碍和缺陷的潜在贡献时，这种基础研究的重要性得到了强调。

The neural mechanisms that underlie the acquisition and retention of memories in the long-term are mysterious. For the past 70 years, Neuroscientists have been uncovering the processes by which memories are stored, retrieved and lost, yet much remains to be discovered. A large majority of research into memory processes has focused on the adult and aging brain in particular, the ways in which memories are lost during these time periods. However, an equally important but less-studied topic is the way in which memories are processed and stored by the juvenile or developing brain. It is of particular importance to gain a more complete understanding of how memories are processed by the developing, juvenile brain as these memories may serve critical roles in laying the foundations for cognitive function during adulthood, memory stability during aging and even, more broadly, our day-to-day interactions with our environments. The main objectives of the proposed research program are to study memory function in juvenile rodents with a focus on key aspects of cellular and neural systems dynamics that underlie the long-term storage of memory representations. The novelty and significance of this line of work is that little is known concerning the fate of memories stored in the juvenile brain so elucidation may prove beneficial in gaining a more complete understanding of basic memory processes. The overall significance to the field of Neuroscience from the proposed work will be the elucidation of a clearer picture of how and where memories are represented in the brain over the long term. This research aims to provide the fundamental knowledge necessary to understand how long-term memories persist amidst constant changes in the brain. The importance of this basic research is highlighted when considering its potential contributions to the understanding and therapeutic treatment of memory impairments and deficits incurred as a result of damage to, or aging of, the brain.