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Bilateral thalamic lesions affect recollection- and familiarity-based recognition memory judgments
Mark M Kishiyama1, Andrew P Yonelinas, Neal E A Kroll
1Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94728-3190, USA. mmkishiyama@berkeley.edu
Summary
The thalamus plays a crucial role in explicit memory, with damage impacting both recollection and familiarity. This study highlights the anteromedial thalamus's importance for memory recognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurology
Background:
- The precise role of the thalamus in explicit memory remains unclear.
- Explicit memory involves conscious recall of facts and events.
- The thalamus is a key structure involved in memory processing.
Observation:
- A patient (RG) with bilateral anterior and medial thalamic lesions was studied.
- RG demonstrated more severe recall deficits than recognition deficits.
- Verbal memory was more impaired than nonverbal memory.
Findings:
- RG showed deficits in recollection and familiarity-based recognition.
- The remember-know (R/K) procedure revealed impaired recollection.
- Confidence-based receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed familiarity deficits.
Implications:
- The anteromedial thalamus is critical for both recollection and familiarity.
- Findings support neurobiological models of memory recognition.
- Understanding thalamic function advances memory disorder research.