Dr Heidrun Schultz | Functional memory dissociations within the human medial temporal lobe at 3T and 7T

Institute Colloquium (internal)

  • Date: Dec 2, 2019
  • Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Dr Heidrun Schultz
  • Max Planck Research Group | ADAPTIVE MEMORY Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
  • Location: MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
  • Room: Lecture Hall (C101)
  • Host: Max Planck Research Group "Adaptive Memory"
The human medial temporal lobe (MTL) is essential for episodic memory, but the roles of its individual subregions remain a matter of debate. Anatomical and functional evidence suggests a division of labour based on stimulus domain: The MTL cortex may process domain-specific aspects of memory, with the anterior MTL cortex [perirhinal and anterolateral entorhinal cortices (PRC, alEC)] supporting object-related memory, and the posterior MTL cortex [parahippocampal and posteriormedial entorhinal cortices (PHC, pmEC)] supporting spatial memory. The hippocampus, on the other hand, may contribute to memory in a domain-general fashion. Here, I present data from three studies. Studies 1 and 2 investigated the domain-specificity of episodic memory using 3T fMRI. During incidental encoding (study 1) and associative recall (study 2), PRC and PHC contributed to object and scene memory, respectively. Study 3 utilised the ultra-high spatial resolution afforded by 7T fMRI to investigate the role of alEC, pmEC, and hippocampal subfields during associative encoding and retrieval of objects and scenes. Here, I will present preliminary results and highlight methodological challenges. In sum, these studies emphasise the role of the human MTL in episodic memory, with subregional differences that depend on stimulus domain.
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