Drawing on a theory of the neural architecture and operation underlying memory developed during the current funding period, we plan to study patients with a broad range of disorders of learning and memory, especially those with memory impairments circumscribed to a sensory modality or to a domain of knowledge. The goal is to parcellate the neural substrates of what is traditionally known as semantic (generic) and episodic memory, by studying neural systems underlying recall and recognition for varied knowledge domains and for different levels of taxonomic complexity.
We aim at testing a number of hypotheses derived from our theoretical framework, regarding the recall and recognition impairments that are likely to be observed in patients with damage to various neural fields in medial temporal, anterolateral temporal, and occipitotemporal regions. In turn, the evidence uncovered in these studies will help optimize the evolving theoretical account. In addition to furthering understanding of the neural substrates of learning and memory, which is a core theme of neuroscience, elucidating the neural basis of memory has several practical consequences. It will promote better diagnosis of the numerous patients who suffer from memory impairments caused by neurological disease, including head injury, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease, and permit the design of rehabilitation techniques which may partially offset their defects. Knowledge gained from our studies may enhance the design of tasks in which humans are required to learn and recognize, and optimize the design of computational systems capable of learning and recognizing information. Our approach is aimed at both the structural and psychological levels (i.e., neuroanatomical systems and cognitive processes), we are in an advantageous position to capitalize on the unique opportunities affordable by neuropsychological experimentation in humans with brain damage.
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