DeMaster Dana, Pathman Thanujeni, Lee Joshua K, Ghetti Simona
University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA.
Cereb Cortex. 2014 Nov;24(11):3036-45. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bht160. Epub 2013 Jun 25.
The hippocampus is critically involved in episodic memory, yet relatively little is known about how the development of this structure contributes to the development of episodic memory during middle to late childhood. Previous research has inconsistently reported associations between hippocampal volume and episodic memory performance during this period. We argue that this inconsistency may be due to assessing the hippocampus as a whole, and propose to examine associations separately for subregions along the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus. In the present study, we examined age-related differences in volumes of the hippocampal head, body, and tail, and collected episodic memory measures in children ages 8-11 years and young adults (N = 62). We found that adults had a smaller right hippocampal head, larger hippocampal body bilaterally, and smaller right hippocampal tail compared with children. In adults, but not in children, better episodic memory performance was associated with smaller right hippocampal head and larger hippocampal body. In children, but not in adults, better episodic memory was associated with larger left hippocampal tail. Overall, the results suggest that protracted development of hippocampal subregions contribute to age-related differences in episodic memory.
海马体在情景记忆中起着关键作用，但对于该结构的发育如何在童年中后期促进情景记忆的发展，我们却知之甚少。以往的研究对于这一时期海马体体积与情景记忆表现之间的关联报道并不一致。我们认为这种不一致可能是由于将海马体作为一个整体进行评估所致，并建议分别研究海马体纵轴上各亚区域的关联。在本研究中，我们考察了8至11岁儿童及年轻成年人（N = 62）海马体头部、体部和尾部体积的年龄相关差异，并收集了情景记忆测量数据。我们发现，与儿童相比，成年人右侧海马体头部较小，双侧海马体体部较大，右侧海马体尾部较小。在成年人中，而非儿童中，较好的情景记忆表现与右侧海马体头部较小和海马体体部较大有关。在儿童中，而非成年人中，较好的情景记忆与左侧海马体尾部较大有关。总体而言，结果表明海马体亚区域的长期发育导致了情景记忆的年龄相关差异。
