The neuropsychological mechanism in loci memory using 7T fMRI

Abstract

Memory has been a preoccupation of human civilization for centuries, and people have been searching for ways to increase its capacity and special memorisation methods tend to get more attention. Though efficient memory methods have always been a goal pursued by humans, the physiological nature still demands proper explanation. In this paper, a memory method called loci memorize is explored in the hope of obtaining a comparison of the level of activity in a particular region. This work utilized a 7T fMRI with a high resolution to unlock the neurological activity during quick memory of unordered numbers in eleven right-handed memory athletes. By designing a specific numerical memory task and initiating the task in two different groups of people, the coordinates of activated brain regions were located by analysing the degree of activity, with reference to the corresponding recall data. Results showed that brain activations associated with the loci memory were found in the middle cingulate, left precuneus, left supramarginal gyrus, left insula, left inferior frontal gyrus, left middle occipital, and right superior parietal lobule. These brain regions were more active in the group using loci memorise compared to that not using loci memorise under the same memory task. The preference for loci memory provides a possibility for the memory improvement. The work can be a reference of studying the memory mechanism in the neuropsychological science.