Stimulation of the right entorhinal white matter enhances visual memory encoding in humans

Emily A. Mankin; Zahra M. Aghajan; Peter Schuette; Michelle E. Tran; Natalia Tchemodanov; Ali Titiz; Güldamla Kalender; Dawn Eliashiv; John Stern; Shennan A. Weiss; Dylan Kirsch; Barbara Knowlton; Itzhak Fried; Nanthia Suthana

Brain Stimulation (Jan 2021)

Stimulation of the right entorhinal white matter enhances visual memory encoding in humans

Emily A. Mankin,
Zahra M. Aghajan,
Peter Schuette,
Michelle E. Tran,
Natalia Tchemodanov,
Ali Titiz,
Güldamla Kalender,
Dawn Eliashiv,
John Stern,
Shennan A. Weiss,
Dylan Kirsch,
Barbara Knowlton,
Itzhak Fried,
Nanthia Suthana

Affiliations

Emily A. Mankin: Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 300 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Zahra M. Aghajan: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Peter Schuette: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 410 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Michelle E. Tran: Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 300 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Natalia Tchemodanov: Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 300 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Ali Titiz: Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 300 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Güldamla Kalender: Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 300 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Dawn Eliashiv: Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
John Stern: Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Shennan A. Weiss: Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Dylan Kirsch: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Barbara Knowlton: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Itzhak Fried: Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 300 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Functional Neurosurgery Unit, Tel-Aviv Medical Center and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, P.O.B 39040 Ramat Aviv, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
Nanthia Suthana: Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 300 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 410 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Psychology, Neurosurgery, and Bioengineering David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 760 Westwood Plaza, Suite 47-355, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 1
pp. 131 – 140

Abstract

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Background: While deep brain stimulation has been successful in treating movement disorders, such as in Parkinson’s disease, its potential application in alleviating memory disorders is inconclusive.Objective/Hypothesis: We investigated the role of the location of the stimulating electrode on memory improvement and hypothesized that entorhinal white versus gray matter stimulation would have differential effects on memory. Methods: Intracranial electrical stimulation was applied to the entorhinal area of twenty-two participants with already implanted electrodes as they completed visual memory tasks. Results: We found that stimulation of right entorhinal white matter during learning had a beneficial effect on subsequent memory, while stimulation of adjacent gray matter or left-sided stimulation was ineffective. This finding was consistent across three different visually guided memory tasks. Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of precise stimulation site on modulation of human hippocampal-dependent memory and suggest that stimulation of afferent input into the right hippocampus may be an especially promising target for enhancement of visual memory.

Published in Brain Stimulation

ISSN: 1935-861X (Print); 1876-4754 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/brain-stimulation

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