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The intersection between the oculomotor and hippocampal memory systems: empirical developments and clinical implications
Author(s) -
Ryan Jennifer D.,
Shen Kelly,
Liu ZhongXu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.14256
Subject(s) - neuroscience , hippocampal formation , eye movement , cognition , psychology , neuropsychology , hippocampus , temporal lobe , visual memory , cognitive psychology , cognitive science , computer science , epilepsy
Decades of cognitive neuroscience research has shown that where we look is intimately connected to what we remember. In this article, we review findings from human and nonhuman animals, using behavioral, neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and computational modeling methods, to show that the oculomotor and hippocampal memory systems interact in a reciprocal manner, on a moment‐to‐moment basis, mediated by a vast structural and functional network. Visual exploration serves to efficiently gather information from the environment for the purpose of creating new memories, updating existing memories, and reconstructing the rich, vivid details from memory. Conversely, memory increases the efficiency of visual exploration. We call for models of oculomotor control to consider the influence of the hippocampal memory system on the cognitive control of eye movements, and for models of hippocampal and broader medial temporal lobe function to consider the influence of the oculomotor system on the development and expression of memory. We describe eye movement–based applications for the detection of neurodegeneration and delivery of therapeutic interventions for mental health disorders for which the hippocampus is implicated and memory dysfunctions are at the forefront.