The PI seeks support for an investigation of a novel theory to investigate the role of the hippocampus in learning and memory. Specifically, that the hippocampal formation provides the neural substrates that enables an animal to construct a representation of the joint occurance of two or more stimulus elements. An important point of this theory is that it allows the explanation of how animals can solve problems that require non-linear solutions. In another words, it allows animals to solve problems that cannot be solved by a learning system that simply algebraically sums the associative strengths of the individual cues that compose a stimulus. This is an interesting proposal by an innovative and highly productive investigator. The proposed research is a gamble and there is a minimum of preliminary data to allow an easy judgement. However, the investigator has made excellent progress and is now at a stage of his research where a definitive decision on the validity of the configural association theory can be made. The potential for a significant outcome seems sufficient to justify the risk. This work has the potential to move behavioral neuroscience significantly closer to an understanding of the neural systems that underlie learning and memory.
