Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance

Participants of the annual World Memory Championships regularly demonstrate extraordinary memory feats, such as memorising the order of 52 playing cards in 20 s or 1000 binary digits in 5 min. On a cognitive level, memory athletes use well-known mnemonic strategies, such as the method of loci. Howev...

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Authors: Muller, Nils C. J., Konrad, Boris N., Khon, Nils, Muñoz López, Mónica, Czisch, Michael, Fernández, Guillén, Dresler, Martin
Format: article
Publication Date:2018
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Repository:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
OAI Identifier:oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/46437
Online Access:https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00429-017-1556-2
https://hdl.handle.net/10578/46437
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Caudate nucleus
Cognitive map
Hippocampus
Memory athletes
Method of loci
Stimulus response learning
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spelling Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performanceMuller, Nils C. J.Konrad, Boris N.Khon, NilsMuñoz López, MónicaCzisch, MichaelFernández, GuillénDresler, MartinCaudate nucleusCognitive mapHippocampusMemory athletesMethod of lociStimulus response learningParticipants of the annual World Memory Championships regularly demonstrate extraordinary memory feats, such as memorising the order of 52 playing cards in 20 s or 1000 binary digits in 5 min. On a cognitive level, memory athletes use well-known mnemonic strategies, such as the method of loci. However, whether these feats are enabled solely through the use of mnemonic strategies or whether they benefit additionally from optimised neural circuits is still not fully clarified. Investigating 23 leading memory athletes, we found volumes of their right hippocampus and caudate nucleus were stronger correlated with each other compared to matched controls; both these volumes positively correlated with their position in the memory sports world ranking. Furthermore, we observed larger volumes of the right anterior hippocampus in athletes. Complementing these structural findings, on a functional level, fMRI resting state connectivity of the anterior hippocampus to both the posterior hippocampus and caudate nucleus predicted the athletes rank. While a competitive interaction between hippocampus and caudate nucleus is often observed in normal memory function, our findings suggest that a hippocampal-caudate nucleus cooperation may enable exceptional memory performance. We speculate that this cooperation reflects an integration of the two memory systems at issue-enabling optimal combination of stimulus-response learning and map-based learning when using mnemonic strategies as for example the method of loci.Springer202620262018info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00429-017-1556-2https://hdl.handle.net/10578/46437reponame:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLMinstname:Universidad de Castilla-La ManchaInglés406-13-008info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/464372026-05-27T07:36:41Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance
title Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance
spellingShingle Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance
Muller, Nils C. J.
Caudate nucleus
Cognitive map
Hippocampus
Memory athletes
Method of loci
Stimulus response learning
title_short Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance
title_full Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance
title_fullStr Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance
title_full_unstemmed Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance
title_sort Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Muller, Nils C. J.
Konrad, Boris N.
Khon, Nils
Muñoz López, Mónica
Czisch, Michael
Fernández, Guillén
Dresler, Martin
author Muller, Nils C. J.
author_facet Muller, Nils C. J.
Konrad, Boris N.
Khon, Nils
Muñoz López, Mónica
Czisch, Michael
Fernández, Guillén
Dresler, Martin
author_role author
author2 Konrad, Boris N.
Khon, Nils
Muñoz López, Mónica
Czisch, Michael
Fernández, Guillén
Dresler, Martin
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Caudate nucleus
Cognitive map
Hippocampus
Memory athletes
Method of loci
Stimulus response learning
topic Caudate nucleus
Cognitive map
Hippocampus
Memory athletes
Method of loci
Stimulus response learning
description Participants of the annual World Memory Championships regularly demonstrate extraordinary memory feats, such as memorising the order of 52 playing cards in 20 s or 1000 binary digits in 5 min. On a cognitive level, memory athletes use well-known mnemonic strategies, such as the method of loci. However, whether these feats are enabled solely through the use of mnemonic strategies or whether they benefit additionally from optimised neural circuits is still not fully clarified. Investigating 23 leading memory athletes, we found volumes of their right hippocampus and caudate nucleus were stronger correlated with each other compared to matched controls; both these volumes positively correlated with their position in the memory sports world ranking. Furthermore, we observed larger volumes of the right anterior hippocampus in athletes. Complementing these structural findings, on a functional level, fMRI resting state connectivity of the anterior hippocampus to both the posterior hippocampus and caudate nucleus predicted the athletes rank. While a competitive interaction between hippocampus and caudate nucleus is often observed in normal memory function, our findings suggest that a hippocampal-caudate nucleus cooperation may enable exceptional memory performance. We speculate that this cooperation reflects an integration of the two memory systems at issue-enabling optimal combination of stimulus-response learning and map-based learning when using mnemonic strategies as for example the method of loci.
publishDate 2018
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2018
2026
2026
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00429-017-1556-2
https://hdl.handle.net/10578/46437
url https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00429-017-1556-2
https://hdl.handle.net/10578/46437
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv 406-13-008
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
instname:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
instname_str Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
reponame_str RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
collection RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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