Neural Underpinnings of Familiarity

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current theories of recognition memory postulate that two distinct memory experiences can contribute to successful recognition, recollection and familiarity. Recollection involves remembering an item and details about the context in which it was learned, whereas familiarity reflects remembering an item devoid of any contextual details. It is typically assumed that recollection and familiarity depend on the hippocampus and the medial temporal lobe cortex (MTLC), respectively. However, recent evidence indicates that patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) show impaired recollection but intact familiarity-based recognition, despite presumed damage to both the hippocampus and MTLC in MCI. This result suggests that neural substrates of familiarity may be more complex than typically assumed. One possibility is that familiarity may be supported by specific subregions of the MTLC where MCI pathology is minimal. This hypothesis will be tested by measuring damage to specific subregions of the MTLC in MCI patients, and assessing relationships between such damage and familiarity-based memory performance. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]