Hippocampal-neocortical interactions sharpen over time for predictive actions

Nat Commun. 2019 Sep 5;10(1):3989. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12016-9.

Abstract

When an action is familiar, we are able to anticipate how it will change the state of the world. These expectations can result from retrieval of action-outcome associations in the hippocampus and the reinstatement of anticipated outcomes in visual cortex. How does this role for the hippocampus in action-based prediction change over time? We use high-resolution fMRI and a dual-training behavioral paradigm to examine how the hippocampus interacts with visual cortex during predictive and nonpredictive actions learned either three days earlier or immediately before the scan. Just-learned associations led to comparable background connectivity between the hippocampus and V1/V2, regardless of whether actions predicted outcomes. However, three-day-old associations led to stronger background connectivity and greater differentiation between neural patterns for predictive vs. nonpredictive actions. Hippocampal prediction may initially reflect indiscriminate binding of co-occurring events, with action information pruning weaker associations and leading to more selective and accurate predictions over time.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Association Learning / physiology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Female
  • Hippocampus / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Learning / physiology*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Memory
  • Neocortex / physiology*
  • Temporal Lobe / physiology
  • Time Factors
  • Visual Cortex
  • Young Adult