A Structure-Function Substrate of Memory for Spatial Configurations in Medial and Lateral Temporal Cortices

Prior research has shown a role of the medial temporal lobe, particularly the hippocampal-parahippocampal complex, in spatial cognition. Here, we developed a new paradigm, the conformational shift spatial task (CSST), which examines the ability to encode and retrieve spatial relations between unrela...

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Published in:Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991) Vol. 31; no. 7; p. 3213
Main Authors: Tavakol, Shahin, Li, Qiongling, Royer, Jessica, Vos de Wael, Reinder, Larivière, Sara, Lowe, Alex, Paquola, Casey, Jefferies, Elizabeth, Hartley, Tom, Bernasconi, Andrea, Bernasconi, Neda, Smallwood, Jonathan, Bohbot, Veronique, Caciagli, Lorenzo, Bernhardt, Boris
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 10.06.2021
Subjects:
Adult
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Male
Memory - physiology
Photic Stimulation - methods
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Semantics
Space Perception - physiology
Temporal Lobe - diagnostic imaging
Temporal Lobe - physiology
task fMRI
medial temporal lobe
spatial memory
neuroimaging
ISSN:1460-2199, 1460-2199
Online Access:Get more information
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Summary:Prior research has shown a role of the medial temporal lobe, particularly the hippocampal-parahippocampal complex, in spatial cognition. Here, we developed a new paradigm, the conformational shift spatial task (CSST), which examines the ability to encode and retrieve spatial relations between unrelated items. This task is short, uses symbolic cues, incorporates two difficulty levels, and can be administered inside the scanner. A cohort of 48 healthy young adults underwent the CSST, together with a set of behavioral measures and multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Inter-individual differences in CSST performance correlated with scores on an established spatial memory paradigm, but neither with episodic memory nor mnemonic discrimination, supporting specificity. Analyzing high-resolution structural MRI data, individuals with better spatial memory showed thicker medial and lateral temporal cortices. Functional relevance of these findings was supported by task-based functional MRI analysis in the same participants and ad hoc meta-analysis. Exploratory resting-state functional MRI analyses centered on clusters of morphological effects revealed additional modulation of intrinsic network integration, particularly between lateral and medial temporal structures. Our work presents a novel spatial memory paradigm and supports an integrated structure-function substrate in the human temporal lobe. Task paradigms are programmed in python and made open access.
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ISSN:1460-2199
1460-2199
DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhab001