Memory and Space: Towards an Understanding of the Cognitive Map
- Daniela Schiller1,
- Howard Eichenbaum2,
- Elizabeth A. Buffalo3,
- Lila Davachi4,
- David J. Foster5,
- Stefan Leutgeb6, and
- Charan Ranganath7
- 1Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029,
- 2Center for Memory and Brain, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215,
- 3Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98195,
- 4Departments of Psychology and Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003,
- 5Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205,
- 6Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, and Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, and
- 7Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616
Abstract
More than 50 years of research have led to the general agreement that the hippocampus contributes to memory, but there has been a major schism among theories of hippocampal function over this time. Some researchers argue that the hippocampus plays a broad role in episodic and declarative memory, whereas others argue for a specific role in the creation of spatial cognitive maps and navigation. Although both views have merit, neither provides a complete account of hippocampal function. Guided by recent reviews that attempt to bridge between these views, here we suggest that reconciliation can be accomplished by exploring hippocampal function from the perspective of Tolman's (1948) original conception of a cognitive map as organizing experience and guiding behavior across all domains of cognition. We emphasize recent studies in animals and humans showing that hippocampal networks support a broad range of domains of cognitive maps, that these networks organize specific experiences within the contextually relevant map, and that network activity patterns reflect behavior guided through cognitive maps. These results are consistent with a framework that bridges theories of hippocampal function by conceptualizing the hippocampus as organizing incoming information within the context of a multidimensional cognitive map of spatial, temporal, and associational context.
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Research of hippocampal function is dominated by two major views. The spatial view argues that the hippocampus tracks routes through space, whereas the memory view suggests a broad role in declarative memory. Both views rely on considerable evidence, but neither provides a complete account of hippocampal function. Here we review evidence that, in addition to spatial context, the hippocampus encodes a wide variety of information about temporal and situational context, about the systematic organization of events in abstract space, and about routes through maps of cognition and space. We argue that these findings cross the boundaries of the memory and spatial views and offer new insights into hippocampal function as a system supporting a broad range of cognitive maps.
- Received July 9, 2015.
- Revision received August 25, 2015.
- Accepted September 2, 2015.
- Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3513904-08$15.00/0
