Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neurology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA; email:
Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2023 Jul 10;46:191-210. doi: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-101222-110632. Epub 2023 Mar 14.
Examination of cognition has historically been approached from language and introspection. However, human language-dependent definitions ignore the evolutionary roots of brain mechanisms and constrain their study in experimental animals. We promote an alternative view, namely that cognition, including memory, can be explained by exaptation and expansion of the circuits and algorithms serving bodily functions. Regulation and protection of metabolic and energetic processes require time-evolving brain computations enabling the organism to prepare for altered future states. Exaptation of such circuits was likely exploited for exploration of the organism's niche. We illustrate that exploration gives rise to a cognitive map, and in turn, environment-disengaged computation allows for mental travel into the past (memory) and the future (planning). Such brain-body interactions not only occur during waking but also persist during sleep. These exaptation steps are illustrated by the dual, endocrine-homeostatic and memory, contributions of the hippocampal system, particularly during hippocampal sharp-wave ripples.
认知的研究历来是从语言和内省的角度进行的。然而，人类对语言的依赖的定义忽视了大脑机制的进化根源，并限制了对实验动物的研究。我们提倡一种替代观点，即认知，包括记忆，可以通过身体功能的回路和算法的适应和扩展来解释。代谢和能量过程的调节和保护需要随时间变化的大脑计算，使生物体能够为未来的变化状态做好准备。这种回路的适应可能被用于探索生物体的生态位。我们举例说明探索会产生认知地图，而反过来，与环境无关的计算又会使大脑进入过去（记忆）和未来（规划）的心理旅行。这种脑-体相互作用不仅发生在清醒状态，而且在睡眠中也持续存在。海马系统的双重内分泌稳态和记忆贡献，特别是在海马体锐波涟漪期间，说明了这些适应步骤。
