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Mapping memories: Can we reconcile the spatial and mnemic conceptions of the hippocampus?| title | Mapping memories: Can we reconcile the spatial and mnemic conceptions of the hippocampus? |
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| start_date | 2025/01/23 |
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| schedule | 12h15-13h45 |
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| online | yes |
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| location_info | on Zoom |
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| summary | The function of the hippocampus has long been understood through two distinct constructs: cognitive maps and episodic memory. Recent theoretical work proposes these conceptions are not independent but fundamentally integrated, with cognitive maps serving to structure memory encoding, storage, and retrieval. Considering the mechanisms underlying cognitive maps, I argue that careful attention to mechanistic decomposition reveals a tension when aiming to reconcile the spatial with the mnemic. Specifically, the functional components required for spatial navigation cannot be straightforwardly incorporated into memory functions. This leads to a dilemma. Either we must extend our conception of episodic memory beyond its conventional hippocampal boundaries and functional character, or we are restricted to specific computations that leave us with an explanatory gap between these two conceptions. Either horn we adopt comes with a cost—radically revising memory systems on the one hand, or losing the explanatory richness of cognitive map theory on the other. |
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| responsibles | Kourken, Andonovski |
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Workflow history| from state (1) | to state | comment | date |
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| submitted | published | | 2025/01/14 15:04 UTC |
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