Encoding and the Medial Temporal Lobe. To appear in: Oxford Handbook of Human Memory (M. J. Kahana & A. D. Wagner, Eds). Oxford University Press.
Year: 2022
Type: preprint
Abstract: Episodic memory is a core cognitive ability that allows humans to remember past events, act in the present, and create predictive models to inform future behaviors. The medial temporal lobes (MTL) are a critical part of the neural machinery that makes possible the ability to acquire and express memories for features of experiences, memories for the conjunctions of event features, and memories that integrate information across events. This chapter reviews the gross anatomy, functional differentiation, and computations and dynamics that underlie memory formation in the MTL network, with an emphasis on episodic encoding. It focuses on inputs, outputs, and circuitry of MTL cortical structures and hippocampal substructures that enable sensory input to be converted into durable content-based and representation-based mnemonic codes. Emphasis is placed on computations that subserve the differentiation of experienced events, on the one hand, and across-event integration, on the other, as well as on encoding dynamics supported by neuromodulators and electrophysiological processes that lead to memory persistence and generalization. We conclude by briefly discussing open questions and directions for future work.
Institution: Stanford University
Language: English
Topic: Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4280563019