The hippocampus and related neocortical structures in memory transformation

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Episodic memories are multifaceted and malleable, capable of being transformed with time and experience at both the neural level and psychological level. At the neural level, episodic memories are transformed from being dependent on the hippocampus to becoming represented in neocortical structures, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and back again, while at the psychological level, detailed, perceptually rich memories, are transformed to ones retaining only the gist of an experience or a schema related to it. Trace Transformation Theory (TTT) initially proposed that neural and psychological transformations are linked and proceed in tandem. Building on recent studies on the neurobiology of memory transformation in rodents and on the organization of the hippocampus and its functional cortical connectivity in humans, we present an updated version of TTT that is more precise and detailed with respect to the dynamic processes and structures implicated in memory transformation. At the heart of the updated TTT lies the long axis of the hippocampus whose functional differentiation and connectivity to neocortex make it a hub for memory formation and transformation. The posterior hippocampus, connected to perceptual and spatial representational systems in posterior neocortex, supports fine, perceptually rich, local details of memories; the anterior hippocampus, connected to conceptual systems in anterior neocortex, supports coarse, global representations that constitute the gist of a memory. Notable among the anterior neocortical structures is the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) which supports representation of schemas that code for common aspects of memories across different episodes. Linking the aHPC with mPFC is the entorhinal cortex (EC) which conveys information needed for the interaction/translation between gist and schemas. Thus, the long axis of the hippocampus, mPFC and EC provide the representational gradient, from fine to coarse and from perceptual to conceptual, that can implement processes implicated in memory transformation. Each of these representations of an episodic memory can co-exist and be in dynamic flux as they interact with one another throughout the memory’s lifetime, going from detailed to schematic and possibly back again, all mediated by corresponding changes in neural representation.