The overarching goal of the proposed research is to understand, from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, how information about an event is successfully retrieved from episodic memory. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potentials (ERPs) will be employed to identify neural activity elicited during the retrieval of experimental items such as words and pictures. One line of experiments will investigate the extent to which retrieval-related activity in the hippocampus selectively supports the recovery of qualitative information about the past. Other experiments will investigate the degree to which retrieval-related activity in different parts of the medial temporal lobe dissociates according to whether associations between items, or items and their contexts, are recollected. A third set of experiments will investigate the generality and functional significance of content-selective, retrieval-related cortical reinstatement effects. A final set of experiments will focus of the functional significance of retrieval-related activity in inferior posterior parietal cortex. These last experiments will take as their starting point the hypothesis that this region supports an 'episodic buffer'that serves as an interface between episodic and working memory, and facilitates conscious access to recollected information. Disabling impairments of episodic memory are prominent in several common neurological conditions, notably Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury. Episodic memory dysfunction is also a significant component of several common psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, episodic memory declines substantially and, relative to other kinds of memory, disproportionately, with increasing age. The proposed research will facilitate the detailed understanding of the neurocognitive processes that support normally-functioning episodic memory, an understanding that is necessary for the elucidation of different kinds of episodic memory disorders and the development of effective therapeutic interventions.

Public Health Relevance

Disabling impairments of episodic memory - memory for unique events - are found in numerous neurological and psychiatric conditions. The proposed research will contribute to the detailed understanding of normally-functioning episodic memory that is necessary if different kinds of episodic memory disorders are to be fully understood and effectively treated.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01MH072966-06A1
Application #
8017329
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BBBP-D (06))
Program Officer
Osborn, Bettina D
Project Start
2004-12-01
Project End
2010-12-31
Budget Start
2010-06-22
Budget End
2010-12-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$61,407
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Irvine
Department
Other Basic Sciences
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
046705849
City
Irvine
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92697
King, Danielle R; de Chastelaine, Marianne; Rugg, Michael D (2018) Recollection-related increases in functional connectivity across the healthy adult lifespan. Neurobiol Aging 62:1-19
Koen, Joshua D; Thakral, Preston P; Rugg, Michael D (2018) Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left angular gyrus during encoding does not impair associative memory performance. Cogn Neurosci 9:127-138
King, Danielle R; Chastelaine, Marianne de; Elward, Rachael L et al. (2018) Dissociation between the neural correlates of recollection and familiarity in the striatum and hippocampus: Across-study convergence. Behav Brain Res 354:1-7
Rugg, Michael D; King, Danielle R (2018) Ventral lateral parietal cortex and episodic memory retrieval. Cortex 107:238-250
Thakral, Preston P; Wang, Tracy H; Rugg, Michael D (2017) Decoding the content of recollection within the core recollection network and beyond. Cortex 91:101-113
Thakral, Preston P; Wang, Tracy H; Rugg, Michael D (2015) Cortical reinstatement and the confidence and accuracy of source memory. Neuroimage 109:118-29
King, Danielle R; de Chastelaine, Marianne; Elward, Rachael L et al. (2015) Recollection-related increases in functional connectivity predict individual differences in memory accuracy. J Neurosci 35:1763-72
Elward, Rachael L; Rugg, Michael D (2015) Retrieval Goal Modulates Memory for Context. J Cogn Neurosci 27:2529-40
Thakral, Preston P; Yu, Sarah S; Rugg, Michael D (2015) The hippocampus is sensitive to the mismatch in novelty between items and their contexts. Brain Res 1602:144-52
Elward, Rachael L; Vilberg, Kaia L; Rugg, Michael D (2015) Motivated Memories: Effects of Reward and Recollection in the Core Recollection Network and Beyond. Cereb Cortex 25:3159-66

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