Hippocampal activation during transitive inference in humans.

Full Abstract

Studies in rodents have demonstrated that the integration and flexible expression of memories, necessary for transitive inference, depend on an intact hippocampus. To test this hypothesis in humans, we studied brain activation during the discrimination of a series of overlapping and non-overlapping arbitrary visual stimulus pairs. We report that transitive inference about overlapping pairs is associated with right anterior hippocampal activation, whereas recognition of non-overlapping stimulus pairs is associated with bilateral medial temporal lobe activation centered in the anterior parahippocampal gyrus. We conclude that immediate access to simple stimulus-stimulus relationships is mediated via the parahippocampal gyrus, whereas the flexible representation of memory requires the recruitment of the hippocampus.

Author information

Author/s: Heckers, Stephan (S); Zalesak, Martin (M); Weiss, Anthony P (AP); Ditman, Tali (T); Titone, Debra (D);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, East CNY-9112, Bldg. 149, Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. heckers(-atsign-)psych.mgh.harvard.edu

Grants: MH01763-01 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; MH60272 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Clinical Trial, Phase I; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Hippocampus (Hippocampus), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2004-; vol 14 (issue 2) : pp 153-62

Dates: Created 2004/04/21; Completed 2004/05/20; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 15098721, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Hippocampus. 2004;14(2):141-2. (PMID: 15098718)

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