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Cited by 27Spatial Cognition and NavigationMemory and Neural MechanismsMemory Processes and Influences

Patterns of preserved and impaired spatial memory in a case of developmental amnesia

Open access
Rosenbaum, R. Shayna, Cassidy, Benjamin N., Herdman, Katherine A.·2015·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
DOI 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00196PMC PMC4426723
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Abstract

The hippocampus is believed to have evolved to support allocentric spatial representations of environments as well as the details of personal episodes that occur within them, whereas other brain structures are believed to support complementary egocentric spatial representations. Studies of patients with adult-onset lesions lend support to these distinctions for newly encountered places but suggest that with time and/or experience, schematic aspects of environments can exist independent of the hippocampus. Less clear is the quality of spatial memories acquired in individuals with impaired episodic memory in the context of a hippocampal system that did not develop normally. Here we describe a detailed investigation of the integrity of spatial representations of environments navigated repeatedly over many years in the rare case of H.C., a person with congenital absence of the mammillary bodies and abnormal hippocampal and fornix development. H.C. and controls who had extensive experience navigating the residential and downtown areas known to H.C. were tested on mental navigation tasks that assess the identity, location, and spatial relations among landmarks, and the ability to represent routes. H.C. was able to represent distances and directions between familiar landmarks and provide accurate, though inefficient, route descriptions. However, difficulties producing detailed spatial features on maps and accurately ordering more than two landmarks that are in close proximity to one another along a route suggest a spatial representation that includes only coarse, schematic information that lacks coherence and that cannot be used flexibly. This pattern of performance is considered in the context of other areas of preservation and impairment exhibited by H.C. and suggests that the allocentric-egocentric dichotomy with respect to hippocampal and extended hippocampal system function may need to be reconsidered.

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  • K.C., an individual with bilateral HPC damage, could produce accurate sketch maps of the overall layout of his hometown and judge relative distances and directions between its major landmarks.

    “This was demonstrated in the case K.C., an individual with bilateral HPC damage, who could produce accurate sketch maps of the overall layout of his hometown (Fig. 3) and judge relative distances and directions between its major landmarks 27,81,82 .”

    From From cognitive maps to spatial schemas (2023) · cites this paper as [82]

  • K.C. was impaired in remembering minor landmarks and perceptual details of familiar environments, despite largely intact visuoperceptual processing abilities and semantic knowledge of those same places.

    “K.C. was impaired, however, in remembering minor landmarks and perceptual details of familiar environments, despite having largely intact visuoperceptual processing abilities and semantic knowledge of those same places.”

    From From cognitive maps to spatial schemas (2023) · cites this paper as [82]

  • K.C. and other individuals with hippocampal amnesia were still able to navigate familiar environments using only a schematic form of their spatial representation.

    “Notably, K.C. and other individuals with hippocampal amnesia were still able to navigate familiar environments using only a schematic form of their spatial representation 81,82 .”

    From From cognitive maps to spatial schemas (2023) · cites this paper as [82]

  • In individuals with bilateral HPC damage, memory for details or surface properties is lost.

    “whereas memory for details or surface properties is lost [80][81][82]123,124 .”

    From From cognitive maps to spatial schemas (2023) · cites this paper as [82]

  • Sketch maps drawn by other individuals with amnesia relating to bilateral hippocampal damage are similarly accurate in terms of overall layout yet similarly impoverished in detail.

    “Sketch maps drawn by other individuals with amnesia relating to bilateral hippocampal damage are similarly accurate in terms of overall layout yet similarly impoverished in detail 81,82 .”

    From From cognitive maps to spatial schemas (2023) · cites this paper as [82]

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Authors
Rosenbaum, R. S., Cassidy, B. N., & Herdman, K. A.
Affiliations
York University (CA)
Corresponding author
Rosenbaum, R. Shayna
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2015-05-11
Volume
9
Pages
196-196
ISSN
1662-5161 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fnhum.2015.00196
PMC
PMC4426723
OpenAlex
W1557172482
Cited by
27
References
86
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3
FWCI
3.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2014-06704, 06704)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Keywords
developmental amnesia, hippocampal development, fornix, allocentric spatial representation, egocentric spatial representation, spatial memory, mental navigation, route description, h_c

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