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Audrain, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Audrain, S..

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Leveraging the resting brain to predict memory decline after temporal lobectomy

ObjectivesAnterior temporal lobectomy as a treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with a variable degree of postoperative memory decline, and estimating this decline for individual patients is a critical step of preoperative planning. Presently, predicting memory morbidity relies on indices of preoperative temporal lobe structural and functional integrity. However, epilepsy is increasingly understood as a network disorder, and memory a network phenomenon. We aimed to assess the utility of functional network measures to predict postoperative memory changes. MethodsPatients with left and right temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) were recruited from an epilepsy clinic. Patients underwent preoperative resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) and pre- and postoperative neuropsychological assessment approximately one year after surgery. We compared functional connectivity throughout the memory network of each patient to a healthy control template based on 19 individuals to identify differences in global organization. A second metric indicated the degree of integration of the to-be-resected temporal lobe with the rest of the memory network. We included these measures in a linear regression model alongside standard clinical and demographic variables as predictors of memory change after surgery. ResultsSeventy-two adults with TLE were included in this study (37 left/35 right). Left TLE patients with more abnormal memory networks, and with greater functional integration of the to-be-resected region with the rest of the memory network preoperatively, experienced the greatest decline in verbal memory after surgery. Together, these two measures explained 44% of variance in verbal memory change (F(2,31)=12.01, p=0.0001), outperforming standard clinical and demographic variables. None of the variables examined in this study were associated with visuospatial memory change in patients with right TLE. ConclusionResting-state connectivity provides valuable information concerning both the integrity of to-be-resected tissue as well as functional reserve across memory-relevant regions outside of the to-be-resected tissue. Intrinsic functional connectivity has the potential to be useful for clinical decision-making regarding memory outcomes in left TLE, and more work is needed to identify the factors responsible for differences seen in right TLE.

neuroscience↗

A role for the anterior hippocampus in autobiographical memory construction regardless of temporal distance

Mounting evidence suggests distinct functional contributions of the anterior and posterior hippocampus to autobiographical memory retrieval, but how these subregions function under different retrieval demands as memories age is not yet understood. Specifically, autobiographical memory retrieval is not a homogenous process, rather, it is thought to consist of multiple stages: an early stage of memory construction and a later stage of detailed elaboration, which may differently engage the hippocampus over time. In the present study, we analyzed data from 40 participants who constructed and overtly elaborated upon recent and remote memories in response to picture cues in the fMRI scanner. We previously reported a temporal gradient in the posterior hippocampus during the elaboration period of autobiographical retrieval, with posterior hippocampal activation observed for recent but not remote timepoints. Here, we consider the previously unanalyzed construction stage of retrieval, where participants searched for and selected a memory. We found no evidence of a temporal gradient during memory construction, instead observing strong anterior hippocampus activity regardless of memory remoteness. Our findings suggest a unique contribution of the anterior hippocampus to the construction process of autobiographical retrieval over time. These findings highlight that retrieval processes, which have yet to be considered in current models of systems consolidation, offer novel insights to hippocampal subregion function over time.

neuroscience↗

Schemas provide a scaffold for neocortical integration at the cost of memory specificity over time

Memory transformation is increasingly acknowledged in theoretical accounts of systems consolidation, yet how memory quality and neural representation change over time and how schemas influence this process remains unclear. In this fMRI study, participants encoded and retrieved schema-congruent and incongruent object-scene pairs using a paradigm that probed coarse and detailed memories over 10-minutes and 72-hours. When a congruent schema was available, details were lost over time as representations were integrated in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and enhanced post-encoding coupling between the anterior hippocampus and mPFC was associated with coarser memories. Over time, pattern similarity in the hippocampus changed such that the posterior hippocampus represented specific details and the anterior hippocampus represented the general context of specific memories, irrespective of congruency. Our findings suggest schemas are used as a scaffold for accelerated consolidation of congruent information, and illustrate change in hippocampal organization of detailed contextual memory over time.

neuroscience↗