Spatial Cognition & Memory
16 important questions on Spatial Cognition & Memory
What brain structure is crucial in spatial memory and autobiographical/episodic memory?
What kind of space does the hippocampal formation represent?
What are the functions of the hippocampus?
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What study demonstrates that hippocampus is involved in memory?
HM = unable to form new autobiographical memories
How do we measure place cells in rats?
The place cells provide a cognitive map. What does this map provide?
What did O'Keefe and Nadel (1978) predict about hippocampal formation?
What are head direction cells?
e.g. a particular neuron might discharge whenever the animal points its head northeast, independent of its location.
What are boundary cells?
i.e. coding for space relative to boundaries (e.g. a wall)
What is the summary regarding spatial cells?
- Different types of spatial neurons
- These spatial cells instantiate hippocampal spatial mapping based on:
---> External Environmental cues (e.g. boundary cells)
Self-motion cues
‘If I move North-Easterly for 5 seconds at 3 metres/per second, I should be in place X’
External Environmental cues
‘If the window of Marks and Spencers is 10 metres to the North of me, I should be in place X.’
What experiment demonstrates that the hippocampus is crucial to spatial memory?
Rats are put into a pool of milky water. There is a submerged platform which the rats have to find. The rats learn where the platform is due to spatial cues.
Results
As rats learn water maze, latency (time) and path length (distance from start to goal) decrease
---> Hippocampal lesioned rats take longer, inaccurate routes
How can you record theta?
- rat exploration of environment
- human virtual exploration of environment
Who investigated the relationship between navigation and theta?
Method
---> water maze task for rats
---> virtual water maze for humans
Results:
- MEG study: Hippocampal Theta power increases during water maze performance (particularly at beginning of trial - the time when you are looking for spatial cues, goal calculation - you use the hippocampus a lot)
- MEG study: Hippocampal Theta power at beginning of trial strongly predicts navigational accuracy
Who measured the relationship between hippocampal theta and anxiety?
Method:
Used the human virtual water maze but with 2 conditions -
- Threat condition ---> shocks
- Safe condition ---> no shocks
Results:
- Better navigators = stronger theta in POSTERIOR hippocampus
- More anxious = stronger theta in ANTERIOR hippocampus
What is the summary regarding functional neuroimaging of the hippocampus?
---> Hippocampal activity correlates with spatial ability (memory/navigation) using different imaging techniques:
PET studies, e.g. Maguire et al, 1998
MRI studies, e.g. Hartley et al, 2003
MEG studies, e.g. Cornwell et al, 2008; 2012
These studies mainly use individual differences approach.
---> Those individuals who are more accurate in navigation use their hippocampus more
What two studies investigated the relationship between hippocampal structure and navigational skills?
Schinazi et al (2013)
Results - Better map learners have larger right hippocampus (particularly posterior hippocampus)
Study 2
Woollett & Maguire (2011)
London taxi driver trainees learned London's layout, and have to sit exam after 3 years.
Results:
- Gray matter increase in voxels in the right posterior hippocampus ---> these changes were only seen in trainees who passed the exam
Conc: acquiring map-based knowledge increases the volume of the posterior hippocampus
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