QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, August 19, 2009, 29(33):10335-10340; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1328-09.2009

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Yamashita, K.-i. Articles by Konishi, S. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Yamashita, K.-i. Articles by Konishi, S. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Memory

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Formation of Long-Term Memory Representation in Human Temporal Cortex Related to Pictorial Paired Associates

Ken-ichiro Yamashita,¹ Satoshi Hirose,¹ Akira Kunimatsu,² Shigeki Aoki,² Junichi Chikazoe,¹ Koji Jimura,¹ Yoshitaka Masutani,² Osamu Abe,² Kuni Ohtomo,² Yasushi Miyashita,¹ and Seiki Konishi¹

¹Departments of Physiology and ²Radiology, The University of Tokyo School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan

Correspondence should be addressed to either Dr. Seiki Konishi or Prof. Yasushi Miyashita, Department of Physiology, The University of Tokyo School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan, Email: konishi{at}m.u-tokyo.ac.jp or Email: yasushi_miyashita{at}m.u-tokyo.ac.jp

It is widely held that long-term memory gradually develops in the temporal neocortex after initial memory encoding into the hippocampus. However, little is known as to whether and where long-term memory can be newly created in the human temporal neocortex. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we detected brain activity in the temporal neocortex that was developed 8 weeks after study of unfamiliar pictorial paired associates. Two sets of paired Fourier figures were studied, one 8 weeks before test and the other immediately before test, keeping the correct performance during the tests balanced across the two sets of stimuli. Significant signal increase was observed in the right hippocampus during retrieval of newly studied pairs relative to initially studied pairs. In contrast, significant signal increase was observed in the anterior temporal cortex during retrieval of initially studied pairs relative to newly studied pairs. The greater activity during retrieval of older memory developed in the temporal neocortex provides direct evidence of formation of temporal neocortical representation for stable long-term memory.

---

Received March 17, 2009; revised May 26, 2009; accepted July 2, 2009.

Correspondence should be addressed to either Dr. Seiki Konishi or Prof. Yasushi Miyashita, Department of Physiology, The University of Tokyo School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan, Email: konishi{at}m.u-tokyo.ac.jp or Email: yasushi_miyashita{at}m.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help