Precise temporal memories are supported by the lateral entorhinal cortex in humans

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• The entorhinal-hippocampal network is crucial for temporal memory.
• Precise neurobiological mechanisms of time memory are not fully understood.
• The role of the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) in temporal processing is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the involvement of the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) in high-precision temporal memory.
• To identify brain regions associated with accurate recall of event timing.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used.
• Participants viewed a television episode and later recalled the precise viewing time of still frames.
• Temporal error was measured in seconds for each trial.

Main Results:

• High temporal precision correlated with increased blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI activity in the anterolateral entorhinal cortex (a homolog of the rodent LEC) and perirhinal cortex.
• No significant activity increase was observed in the posteromedial entorhinal and parahippocampal cortices.
• This suggests a novel role for the LEC in processing detailed temporal information.

Conclusions:

• The lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) is implicated in the neurobiological basis of high-precision, minute-scale temporal memory.
• Findings expand our understanding of the functional specialization within the human entorhinal cortex for memory.
• This research highlights the LEC's contribution to remembering the timing of events.