Descrizione del progetto
Ruolo integrativo dell’ippocampo nei sistemi di memoria
I due sistemi di memoria del cervello comprendono la memoria dichiarativa, che supporta fatti ed eventi, e la memoria procedurale, che supporta le abilità motorie. Studi recenti suggeriscono una maggiore interconnessione tra questi sistemi di memoria nonché il coinvolgimento dell’ippocampo in entrambi. Il progetto MemUnited, finanziato dal programma di azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie, si propone di svelare il quadro integrativo dei processi neurali condivisi tra più sistemi di memoria. Il progetto si avvarrà di analisi multivariate dei modelli dei dati di risonanza magnetica funzionale per le diverse fasi della formazione della memoria. L’obiettivo è indagare se i meccanismi di elaborazione dell’ordine sequenziale sono utilizzati nella memoria dichiarativa episodica e in quella procedurale motoria. Lo studio caratterizzerà inoltre il coinvolgimento dell’ippocampo in più sistemi di memoria.
Obiettivo
It is generally assumed that there are two distinct memory systems in the human brain: declarative memory supports memories for facts and events, while the procedural memory supports motor skills. However, recent evidence suggests that these multiple memory systems are less independent than originally thought and that the hippocampus, historically associated with declarative memory, is also involved in procedural motor memory. Accordingly, the project MemUnited (Hippocampus unites Memory Systems by preserving Sequential Order) proposes and tests an integrative framework that specifies the shared neural processes that support learning and memory across multiple memory systems. Specifically, given that declarative episodic and procedural motor memories consist of temporally organized sequences of events (e.g. order in which guests arrived at your dinner party) and movements (e.g. playing the piano), and the hippocampus is critical to preserve sequential order of experiences, I will investigate whether the neural mechanisms of sequential order processing supported by the hippocampus are jointly used in declarative episodic and procedural motor memory. To do so I will use state-of-the-art multivariate pattern analyses of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data acquired during the different phases of memory formation (i.e. encoding, consolidation and retrieval). Findings in the proposed research will fill a gap in the field by providing a detailed characterization of the role of the hippocampus in multiple memory systems. The findings will offer the opportunity to reconsider the historical models of memory classification and develop more integrative views of memory organization in general and hippocampal functioning in particular. Moreover, it will open new avenues for the development of integrative treatment of procedural and declarative memory deficits.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global FellowshipsCoordinatore
9000 Gent
Belgio