The Role of the Human Hippocampus in Odor–Place Associative Memory

摘要

Hippocampal lesions in rodents impair both object–place and odor–place associative memory. Subjects with hippocampal damage have impaired associative memory such as object–place memory. Whereas studies have investigated some types of associative memory, no investigation has specifically examined odor–place associative memory in subjects with well-defined amnesia. It is unknown whether amnesic subjects with hippocampal damage would be impaired on an odor–place associative task. We investigated the effect of hippocampal damage in amnesic subjects with hippocampal atrophy on odor–place associative memory and recognition memory tasks. Amnesic and healthy comparison subjects matched for age and education were tested on an odor–place associative task, an odor recognition task, and a place recognition task. The odor–place associative task required subjects to associate 6 odors with 6 spatial locations on a board. The recognition tasks required subjects to identify the 6 odors and the 6 locations that were presented during the associative task. Amnesic subjects were impaired for odor–place memory and place recognition, but not odor recognition compared with comparison subjects. These results suggest that the human hippocampus is necessary for odor–place associative memory and spatial recognition memory. These data provide support for the idea that odor–place associative memory is mediated by the hippocampus in both humans and rodents, suggesting an evolutionary continuity in cognitive function assigned to the hippocampus.