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The hippocampus uses information just encountered to guide efficient ongoing behavior
Author(s) -
Yee Lydia T.S.,
Warren David E.,
Voss Joel L.,
Duff Melissa C.,
Tranel Daniel,
Cohen Neal J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
hippocampus
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.767
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1098-1063
pISSN - 1050-9631
DOI - 10.1002/hipo.22211
Subject(s) - psychology , hippocampus , neuroscience , hippocampal formation , task (project management) , cognitive psychology , amnesia , sensory system , object (grammar) , computer science , artificial intelligence , management , economics
Adaptive ongoing behavior requires using immediate sensory input to guide upcoming actions. Using a novel paradigm with volitional exploration of visuo‐spatial scenes, we revealed novel deficits among hippocampal amnesic patients in effective spatial exploration of scenes, indicated by less‐systematic exploration patterns than those of healthy comparison subjects. The disorganized exploration by amnesic patients occurred despite successful retention of individual object locations across the entire exploration period, indicating that exploration impairments were not secondary to rapid decay of scene information. These exploration deficits suggest that amnesic patients are impaired in integrating memory for recent actions, which may include information such as locations just visited and scene content, to plan immediately forthcoming actions. Using a novel task that measured the on‐line links between sensory input and behavior, we observed the critical role of the hippocampus in modulating ongoing behavior. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.