Novelty signals: a window into hippocampal information processing.
The function of the human hippocampus is a contentious subject among neuroscientists. Theoreticians have long viewed the hippocampus as a computational device, with researchers in humans increasingly adopting this perspective, buoyed by recent reports that its role is not limited to declarative memory. Here, we set out a new strategy for discovering the nature of information processing within the human hippocampus. We argue that novelty responses, measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging, provide a window into the neural representations and computations sustained by the hippocampus. More generally, we suggest that a renewed emphasis on the information processing qualities of the human hippocampus offers the promise of a long awaited union between theoretical and empirical research across species.
Kumaran
Dharshan
D
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. d.kumaran@fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk
Maguire
Eleanor A
EA
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D020534:Parahippocampal Gyrus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*