Prospective representation of navigational goals in the human hippocampus.
Mental representation of the future is a fundamental component of goal-directed behavior. Computational and animal models highlight prospective spatial coding in the hippocampus, mediated by interactions with the prefrontal cortex, as a putative mechanism for simulating future events. Using whole-brain high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging and multi-voxel pattern classification, we tested whether the human hippocampus and interrelated cortical structures support prospective representation of navigational goals. Results demonstrated that hippocampal activity patterns code for future goals to which participants subsequently navigate, as well as for intervening locations along the route, consistent with trajectory-specific simulation. The strength of hippocampal goal representations covaried with goal-related coding in the prefrontal, medial temporal, and medial parietal cortex. Collectively, these data indicate that a hippocampal-cortical network supports prospective simulation of navigational events during goal-directed planning.
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Thackery I
TI
Brown
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. Department of Psychology, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA.
Valerie A
VA
Carr
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Karen F
KF
LaRocque
Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Serra E
SE
Favila
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Alan M
AM
Gordon
Department of Psychology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Ben
B
Bowles
Department of Communication, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Jeremy N
JN
Bailenson
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. Neurosciences Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Anthony D
AD
Wagner
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods; D006040:Goals; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D065854:Spatial Navigation / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult