Towards Finding A Link Between Neuronal Oscillations, Declarative Memory, and Viewing Behavior

Abstract

Lesion studies in humans have shown that the ability to acquire new declarative memories is a distinct cerebral function, separable from other perceptual and cognitive abilities, that relies on medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures such as the hippocampus and its surrounding cortex. For decades, looking behavior has been used as a covert measure of declarative memory. Importantly, not only do experience-dependent changes in viewing behavior often depend on the integrity of the MTL, but eye movements have also been shown to modulate neuronal activity within its structures. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms by which memory interacts with eye movements. While the MTL presumably plays a role in the consolidation of declarative memories via its extensive reciprocal connections with putative memory storage sites in neocortex, this ability is also thought to involve the synchronized activation of ensembles of neurons distributed throughout the brain. By combining intracranial electrophysiological recordings and infrared eye tracking in human epilepsy patients, this study aims to explore the hypothesis that oscillatory activity within the MTL, and between the MTL and neocortex, mediates the neural interactions underlying memory formation during free visual exploration.