scholarly journals The neural dynamics of novel scene imagery

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel N. Barry ◽  
Gareth R. Barnes ◽  
Ian A. Clark ◽  
Eleanor A. Maguire
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Dynamics ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Crucial Component

AbstractRetrieval of long-term episodic memories is characterised by synchronised neural activity between hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), with additional evidence that vmPFC activity leads that of the hippocampus. It has been proposed that the mental generation of scene imagery is a crucial component of episodic memory processing. If this is the case, then a comparable interaction between the two brain regions should exist during the construction of novel scene imagery. To address this question, we leveraged the high temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate the construction of novel mental imagery. We tasked male and female humans with imagining scenes and single isolated objects in response to one-word cues. We performed source level power, coherence and causality analyses to characterise the underlying inter-regional interactions. Both scene and object imagination resulted in theta power changes in the anterior hippocampus. However, higher theta coherence was observed between the hippocampus and vmPFC in the scene compared to the object condition. This inter-regional theta coherence also predicted whether or not imagined scenes were subsequently remembered. Dynamic causal modelling of this interaction revealed that vmPFC drove activity in hippocampus during novel scene construction. Additionally, theta power changes in the vmPFC preceded those observed in the hippocampus. These results constitute the first evidence in humans that episodic memory retrieval and scene imagination rely on similar vmPFC-hippocampus neural dynamics. Furthermore, they provide support for theories emphasising similarities between both cognitive processes, and perspectives that propose the vmPFC guides the construction of context-relevant representations in the hippocampus.Significance statementEpisodic memory retrieval is characterised by a dialogue between hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). It has been proposed that the mental generation of scene imagery is a crucial component of episodic memory processing. An ensuing prediction would be of a comparable interaction between the two brain regions during the construction of novel scene imagery. Here, we leveraged the high temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG), and combined it with a scene imagination task. We found that a hippocampal-vmPFC dialogue existed, and that it took the form of vmPFC driving the hippocampus. We conclude that episodic memory and scene imagination share fundamental neural dynamics, and the process of constructing vivid, spatially coherent, contextually appropriate scene imagery is strongly modulated by vmPFC.

scholarly journals The Role of Hippocampal–Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Neural Dynamics in Building Mental Representations

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Monk ◽  
Marshall A. Dalton ◽  
Gareth R. Barnes ◽  
Eleanor A. Maguire
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Hippocampal Activity ◽  
Two Stages

The hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) play key roles in numerous cognitive domains including mind-wandering, episodic memory, and imagining the future. Perspectives differ on precisely how they support these diverse functions, but there is general agreement that it involves constructing representations composed of numerous elements. Visual scenes have been deployed extensively in cognitive neuroscience because they are paradigmatic multielement stimuli. However, it remains unclear whether scenes, rather than other types of multifeature stimuli, preferentially engage hippocampus and vmPFC. Here, we leveraged the high temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography to test participants as they gradually built scene imagery from three successive auditorily presented object descriptions and an imagined 3-D space. This was contrasted with constructing mental images of nonscene arrays that were composed of three objects and an imagined 2-D space. The scene and array stimuli were, therefore, highly matched, and this paradigm permitted a closer examination of step-by-step mental construction than has been undertaken previously. We observed modulation of theta power in our two regions of interest—anterior hippocampus during the initial stage and vmPFC during the first two stages, of scene relative to array construction. Moreover, the scene-specific anterior hippocampal activity during the first construction stage was driven by the vmPFC, with mutual entrainment between the two brain regions thereafter. These findings suggest that hippocampal and vmPFC neural activity is especially tuned to scene representations during the earliest stage of their formation, with implications for theories of how these brain areas enable cognitive functions such as episodic memory.

scholarly journals Direct brain recordings identify hippocampal and cortical networks that distinguish successful versus failed episodic memory retrieval

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Joseph Tan ◽  
Michael D. Rugg ◽  
Bradley C. Lega
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Free Recall ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Functional Connections ◽  
Left Angular Gyrus

AbstractHuman data collected using noninvasive imaging techniques have established the importance of parietal regions towards episodic memory retrieval, including the angular gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex. Such regions comprise part of a putative core episodic retrieval network. In free recall, comparisons between contextually appropriate and inappropriate recall events (i.e. prior list intrusions) provide the opportunity to study memory retrieval networks supporting veridical recall, and existing findings predict that differences in electrical activity in these brain regions should be identified according to the accuracy of recall. However, prior iEEG studies, utilizing principally subdural grid electrodes, have not fully characterized brain activity in parietal regions during memory retrieval and have not examined connectivity between core recollection areas and the hippocampus or prefrontal cortex. Here, we employed a data set obtained from 100 human patients implanted with stereo EEG electrodes for seizure mapping purposes as they performed a free recall task. This data set allowed us to separately analyze activity in midline versus lateral parietal brain regions, and in anterior versus posterior hippocampus, to identify areas in which retrieval–related activity predicted the recollection of a correct versus an incorrect memory. With the wide coverage afforded by the stereo EEG approach, we were also able to examine interregional connectivity. Our key findings were that differences in gamma band activity in the angular gyrus, precuneus, posterior temporal cortex, and posterior (more than anterior) hippocampus discriminated accurate versus inaccurate recall as well as active retrieval versus memory search. The left angular gyrus exhibited a significant power decrease preceding list intrusions as well as unique phase-amplitude coupling properties, whereas the prefrontal cortex was unique in exhibiting a power increase during list intrusions. Analysis of connectivity revealed significant hemispheric asymmetry, with relatively sparse left– sided functional connections compared to the right hemisphere. One exception to this finding was elevated connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and left angular gyrus. This finding is interpreted as evidence for the engagement of prefrontal cortex in memory monitoring and mnemonic decision–making.

Social bonding and music: Evidence from lesions to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy M. Belfi
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Social Bonding ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Neurobiological Model ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Emotional Effects

Abstract The music and social bonding (MSB) hypothesis suggests that damage to brain regions in the proposed neurobiological model, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), would disrupt the social and emotional effects of music. This commentary evaluates prior research in persons with vmPFC damage in light of the predictions put forth by the MSB hypothesis.

scholarly journals Hemispheric Asymmetries in Electroencephalogram Oscillations for Long-Term Memory Retrieval in Healthy Individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 937
Author(s):  
Soyiba Jawed ◽  
Hafeez Ullah Amin ◽  
Aamir Saeed Malik ◽  
Ibrahima Faye
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Frontal Region ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Delta Band ◽  
The Right

The hemispherical encoding retrieval asymmetry (HERA) model, established in 1991, suggests that the involvement of the right prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the encoding process is less than that of the left PFC. The HERA model was previously validated for episodic memory in subjects with brain traumas or injuries. In this study, a revised HERA model is used to investigate long-term memory retrieval from newly learned video-based content for healthy individuals using electroencephalography. The model was tested for long-term memory retrieval in two retrieval sessions: (1) recent long-term memory (recorded 30 min after learning) and (2) remote long-term memory (recorded two months after learning). The results show that long-term memory retrieval in healthy individuals for the frontal region (theta and delta band) satisfies the revised HERA asymmetry model.

scholarly journals Right prefrontal cortex and episodic memory retrieval: a functional MRI test of the monitoring hypothesis

Brain ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 122 (7) ◽  
pp. 1367-1381 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. N. A. Henson ◽  
T. Shallice ◽  
R. J. Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Functional Mri ◽  
Memory Retrieval

Imaging Cognition: An Empirical Review of PET Studies with Normal Subjects

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Cabeza ◽  
Lars Nyberg
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Procedural Memory ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Selective Perception

We review PET studies of higher-order cognitive processes, including attention (sustained and selective), perception (of objects, faces, and locations), language (word listening, reading, and production), working memory (phonological and visuo-spatial), semantic memory retrieval (intentional and incidental), episodic memory retrieval (verbal and nonverbal), priming, and procedural memory (conditioning and skill learning). For each process, we identify activation patterns including the most consistently involved regions. These regions constitute important components of the network of brain regions that underlie each function.

scholarly journals Who Comes First? The Role of the Prefrontal and Parietal Cortex in Cognitive Control

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 1367-1375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Brass ◽  
Markus Ullsperger ◽  
Thomas R. Knoesche ◽  
D. Yves von Cramon ◽  
Natalie A. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Task Set ◽  
Related Potentials

Cognitive control processes enable us to adjust our behavior to changing environmental demands. Although neuropsychological studies suggest that the critical cortical region for cognitive control is the prefrontal cortex, neuro-imaging studies have emphasized the interplay of prefrontal and parietal cortices. This raises the fundamental question about the different contributions of prefrontal and parietal areas in cognitive control. It was assumed that the prefrontal cortex biases processing in posterior brain regions. This assumption leads to the hypothesis that neural activity in the prefrontal cortex should precede parietal activity in cognitive control. The present study tested this assumption by combining results from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) providing high spatial resolution and event-related potentials (ERPs) to gain high temporal resolution. We collected ERP data using a modified task-switching paradigm. In this paradigm, a situation where the same task was indicated by two different cues was compared with a situation where two cues indicated different tasks. Only the latter condition required updating of the task set. Task-set updating was associated with a midline negative ERP deflection peaking around 470 msec. We placed dipoles in regions activated in a previous fMRI study that used the same paradigm (left inferior frontal junction, right inferior frontal gyrus, right parietal cortex) and fitted their directions and magnitudes to the ERP effect. The frontal dipoles contributed to the ERP effect earlier than the parietal dipole, providing support for the view that the prefrontal cortex is involved in updating of general task representations and biases relevant stimulus-response associations in the parietal cortex.

Functional network in the prefrontal cortex during episodic memory retrieval

NeuroImage ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 932-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Umeda ◽  
Yoshihide Akine ◽  
Motoichiro Kato ◽  
Taro Muramatsu ◽  
Masaru Mimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Functional Network

scholarly journals The Role of the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Public Good and Public Bad Games: Evidence From a tDCS Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuyou Chen ◽  
Xinbo Lu ◽  
Yuzhen Li ◽  
Lulu Zeng ◽  
Ping Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Public Good ◽  
Cooperative Behavior ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
Gains And Losses ◽  
Public Good Games

Although humans constitute an exceptionally cooperative species that is able to collaborate on large scales for common benefits, cooperation remains a longstanding puzzle in biological and social science. Moreover, cooperation is not always related to resource allocation and gains but is often related to losses. Revealing the neurological mechanisms and brain regions related to cooperation is important for reinforcing cooperation-related gains and losses. Recent neuroscience studies have found that the decision-making process of cooperation is involved in the function of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the causal role of the VMPFC in cooperative behavior concerning gains and losses through the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We integrated cooperation-related gains and losses into a unified paradigm. Based on the paradigm, we researched cooperation behaviors regarding gains in standard public good games and introduced public bad games to investigate cooperative behavior regarding losses. Our study revealed that the VMPFC plays different roles concerning gains and losses in situations requiring cooperation. Anodal stimulation over the VMPFC decreased cooperative behavior in public bad games, whereas stimulation over the VMPFC did not change cooperative behavior in public good games. Moreover, participants’ beliefs about others’ cooperation were changed in public bad games but not in public good games. Finally, participants’ cooperative attitudes were not influenced in the public good or public bad games under the three stimulation conditions.

scholarly journals Gamma oscillations during episodic memory processing reveal reversal of information flow between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Seger ◽  
Michael D. Rugg ◽  
Bradley C. Lega
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Gamma Band Activity ◽  
Intracranial Electrodes ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Band Activity

AbstractA critical and emerging question in human episodic memory is how the hippocampus interacts with the prefrontal cortex during the encoding and retrieval of items and their contexts. In the present study, participants performed an episodic memory task (free recall) while intracranial electrodes were simultaneously inserted into the hippocampus and multiple prefrontal locations, allowing the quantification of relative onset times of gamma band activity in the cortex and the hippocampus in the same individual. We observed that in left anterior ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (aVLPFC) gamma band activity onset was significantly later than in the hippocampus during memory encoding, whereas its activity significantly preceded that in the hippocampus during memory retrieval. These findings provide direct evidence to support models of prefrontal-hippocampal interactions derived from studies of rodents, but suggest that in humans, it is the aVLPFC rather than medial prefrontal cortex that demonstrate these reciprocal interactions.

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