The Function of the Hippocampus in Bridging Functional and Temporal Discontiguity.

The Function of the Hippocampus in Bridging Functional and Temporal Discontiguity.
Neural Plast. 2020;2020:1049721
Authors: Zhang Z, Niki K, Luo J
Abstract
Theoretical assessment of the function of the hippocampus has suggested that given certain physiological constraints at both the neuronal and cortical level, the hippocampus is best suited to associate discontiguous items that occur in different temporal or spatial positions. Conceptually, "discontiguous" refers to events that are to be associated with one another but do not temporally or spatially overlap. However, given that humans can actively maintain information "online" by rehearsing it, even when the information is no longer being presented to the sensory system, the right way to experimentally define "discontiguity" is still a question. Does it refer to a "gap" in the presentation of information (temporal discontiguity) or to an "interruption" of the active maintenance of working memory (WM) information (functional discontiguity)? To assess this, participants were imaged by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) when making judgments on whether two words were semantically related or not. In contrast with recognition memory that can be carried out through perceptual familiarity heuristics, judgments on semantic relatedness can only be accomplished through associative processing. To assess this experimentally, two words are either (1) presented at the same time (Event ...

Source: Neural Plasticity - November 20, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhang Z, Niki K, Luo J Tags: Neural Plast Source Type: research