Representational Approach to Hippocampal Functions : a fMRI Study (SHIP)

Approche représentationnelle de l'Hippocampe Dans la Cognition : Étude en IRMf

Although traditional neuropsychological models associate medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions to memory, and the hippocampus to episodic memory, there is growing evidence supporting an alternative view. The representational view of the MTL proposes that such regions depends on the representations processed rather than the cognitive processes. The aim of this project is to characterise the role played by MTL areas, and particularly the hippocampus, in mnemonic and non-mnemonic cognition. Hypotheses stemming from the representational view will thus be tested, using functional MRI among young healthy participants.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Memory, Episodic; Form Perception
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: MRI-scanner

Detailed Description

Traditional neuropsychological models associate the medial temporal lobe (MTL) with episodic memory. Further, the hippocampus would be responsible for recollection, or the rich and contextualised retrieval of a memory; whereas the perirhinal cortex (PRC) would process familiarity, or the feeling that a stimulus has been encountered before, without remembering where or when it happened. However, there is growing evidence questioning this view, and supporting an alternative proposal. The representational view of the MTL proposes that such regions would not be organised according to cognitive processes, but rather according to the representations (or the mnemonic content, represented by a pattern of neuronal spikes. A 2018-fMRI study demonstrated that the engagement of the hippocampus in recollection depends on the presence of a spatial scene in the memory that is retrieved, and not on the reconstructive nature of the retrieval. However, this demonstration is incomplete, as the only process that was investigated is recollection. The current project aims to extend such results to memory processes such as familiarity, and even to non-mnemonic processes such as visual discrimination. A fMRI study will thus be conducted, where 30 healthy participants will first perform a visual-discrimination task on scenes and objects, before taking a recognition task, in which images will either be presented in full or in the form of circular cues only. Multivariate-Pattern Analyses (MVPA) will complete traditional fMRI analyses, in order to determine whether activity in the MTL can be categorised on the basis of representations through a machine-learning classifier.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Grenoble, France, 38043
    • Chu Grenoble Alpes

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Affiliation to French Healthcare system
• No contraindication to MRI examination
• Age between 18 and 35 years-old
• Visual acuity permitting normal perception of stimuli or corrected sight

Exclusion Criteria:

• Existence of a pathology incompatible with the protocol : Heart, respiratory, haematological, caner, neurological disorder...
• Brain-modulating medical treatment
• Alcohol intake before examination
• Uncorrected visual disorder
• Cognitive deficit (criterion MMSE < 27)
• People protected by articles L1121-5 to L1121-8 of the CSP (pregnant women, under-18 subjects, people under judiciary or administrative surveillance)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: One group of 30 healthy subjects; Perception and memory tasks inside a MRI-scanner for all participants	Device: MRI-scanner; Only one group of 30 participants is constituted. All participants will perform perception and memory tasks inside a MRI-scanner. Functional activity (BOLD signal) will be registered, as well as anatomical and behavioural data.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hippocampal activity during behavioural tasks in the MRI scanner	Activity will be recorded through the MRI whereas participants will perform the tasks. Outcome criteria consist in significant activity observed in participants hippocampus, depending on the experimental conditions.	through study completion, an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Grenoble
• Collaborators: University Grenoble Alps; Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition; Université Savoie Mont Blanc
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Olivier Moreaud, University Hospital, Grenoble

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Gardette J, Cousin E, Bourgin J, Torlay L, Pichat C, Moreaud O, Hot P. Hippocampal activity during memory and visual perception: The role of representational content. Cortex. 2022 Dec;157:14-29. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.09.004. Epub 2022 Sep 28.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 3, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 2, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): March 2, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 4, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 21, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): September 24, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 22, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 15, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: memory; neuroimaging; neuropsychology; perception; hippocampus
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Recurrence
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2020-A01592-37 (Other Identifier: ID RCB)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No