Lee Sang Ah, Tucci Valter, Vallortigara Giorgio
Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy.
Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16163, Italy.
Brain Sci. 2017 Feb 9;7(2):17. doi: 10.3390/brainsci7020017.
Research across the cognitive and brain sciences has begun to elucidate some of the processes that guide navigation and spatial memory. Boundary geometry and featural landmarks are two distinct classes of environmental cues that have dissociable neural correlates in spatial representation and follow different patterns of learning. Consequently, spatial navigation depends both on the type of cue available and on the type of learning provided. We investigated this interaction between spatial representation and memory by administering two different tasks (working memory, reference memory) using two different environmental cues (rectangular geometry, striped landmark) in mouse models of human genetic disorders: Prader-Willi syndrome ( mice, = 12) and Beta-catenin mutation (Thr653Lys-substituted mice, = 12). This exploratory study provides suggestive evidence that these models exhibit different abilities and impairments in navigating by boundary geometry and featural landmarks, depending on the type of memory task administered. We discuss these data in light of the specific deficits in cognitive and brain function in these human syndromes and their animal model counterparts.
认知科学和脑科学领域的研究已开始阐明一些引导导航和空间记忆的过程。边界几何形状和特征性地标是两类不同的环境线索，它们在空间表征中具有可分离的神经关联，并遵循不同的学习模式。因此，空间导航既取决于可用线索的类型，也取决于所提供的学习类型。我们通过在人类遗传疾病的小鼠模型（普拉德-威利综合征小鼠，n = 12；β-连环蛋白突变（Thr653Lys替代小鼠），n = 12）中使用两种不同的环境线索（矩形几何形状、条纹地标）进行两项不同的任务（工作记忆、参考记忆），来研究空间表征与记忆之间的这种相互作用。这项探索性研究提供了提示性证据，表明这些模型根据所执行的记忆任务类型，在通过边界几何形状和特征性地标进行导航时表现出不同的能力和损伤。我们根据这些人类综合征及其动物模型对应物在认知和脑功能方面的特定缺陷来讨论这些数据。
