| 研究実績の概要 |
Autobiographical memories (AMs) are often colored by emotions experienced during an event or those arising following further appraisals. However, how affective components of memories such as emotional intensity or valence (i.e., positive or negative) affect the brain-wide network recruited during the recollection of AMs remains largely unknown.
In the fiscal year of 2017, we completed the collection of the neuroimaging data using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We performed several analyses, including a dynamic causal modelling analysis. Results primarily showed that the amygdala modulates the activity of the hippocampus during the elaboration of emotional memories, as we had hypothesized. However, most importantly, we also included the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in the network, and the results showed that the vmPFC is a major modulator of both amygdala and hippocampus. On the one hand, these results highlight the central role played by the hippocampus during memory elaboration, as it is a target for both amygdala and vmPFC. On the other hand, it also suggests an important role for the vmPFC, since it feeds both the amygdala and the hippocampus during memory elaboration. Since this research involves the participation of human subjects, we are paying utmost attention to act in accordance with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology bylaws regarding the collection and handling of personal information, as stated in our original research plan.
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| 今後の研究の推進方策 |
For the fiscal year of 2018 and onwards, the original plan was to first examine where and how the emotional intensity and valence of autobiographical memories are represented during memory elaboration. We still plan to work towards fulfilling that goal, in parallel with another interesting question that has arisen, namely, do the interactions that we have identified between the amygdala-hippocampus-ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) during memory elaboration exist in the preceding stages of memory retrieval, i.e., memory search?
Our current results point out to the vmPFC as a major controller of both amygdala and hippocampal activity during memory elaboration. We plan to verify whether the same hierarchy exists during memory search.
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