How the brain forms and uses memories
Event-related Neuroimaging of Human Memory Formation
This project looks at how recalling past events helps people imagine the future and solve problems by using brain scans and mild brain stimulation in older adults and people affected by Alzheimer’s.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11143291 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would do memory tasks where you remember past experiences and imagine future scenarios while your brain activity is recorded with MRI. The team will examine activity patterns in brain areas such as the hippocampus and angular gyrus to see how memories are reinstated. They will also apply brief transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to influence these regions and observe changes in brain signals and memory performance. The researchers will compare when memory helps with planning or problem solving versus when it produces errors.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults who can complete memory tasks and attend in-person sessions, including healthy older adults, people with mild cognitive impairment, or those in early-stage Alzheimer’s who can tolerate MRI and TMS.
Not a fit: People who cannot undergo MRI or TMS (for example, due to metal implants, pacemakers, or severe dementia that prevents following instructions) are unlikely to be eligible or benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to brain targets and methods for detecting and improving memory and future-thinking problems in people with Alzheimer’s or age-related memory loss.
How similar studies have performed: Previous fMRI and TMS research has linked the hippocampus and angular gyrus to memory and imagination with promising results, though combining pattern-similarity fMRI analyses with targeted TMS is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Cambridge, United States
- Harvard University — Cambridge, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schacter, Daniel L — Harvard University
- Study coordinator: Schacter, Daniel L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.