title: Neural activity in human hippocampal formation reveals the spatial context of retrieved memories.
abstract: In many species, spatial navigation is supported by a network of place cells that exhibit increased firing whenever an animal is in a certain region of an environment. Does this neural representation of location form part of the spatiotemporal context into which episodic memories are encoded? We recorded medial temporal lobe neuronal activity as epilepsy patients performed a hybrid spatial and episodic memory task. We identified place-responsive cells active during virtual navigation and then asked whether the same cells activated during the subsequent recall of navigation-related memories without actual navigation. Place-responsive cell activity was reinstated during episodic memory retrieval. Neuronal firing during the retrieval of each memory was similar to the activity that represented the locations in the environment where the memory was initially encoded.
authors.affiliation: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neufang
authors.forename: Alec
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Solway
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trippel
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mader
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hefft
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Merkow
authors.forename: Sean M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Polyn
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kahana
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulze-Bonhage
mesh_terms: D002469:Cell Separation; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004827:Epilepsy; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D014584:User-Computer Interface