How the hippocampus and cortex work together to learn patterns
Cortical-Hippocampal Circuit Dynamics for Statistical Learning
Researchers will record brain activity from healthy volunteers (MEG) and epilepsy patients with implanted electrodes (iEEG) to map how the hippocampus and cortex cooperate when people learn patterns in sounds and sequences.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11322094 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, you'll perform listening and pattern-learning tasks while researchers record your brain signals using non-invasive MEG (for healthy volunteers) or intracranial EEG during clinical monitoring (for epilepsy patients). The team will look at precise timing and locations of activity in the hippocampus and cortical language areas as you learn simple transitional patterns and more complex nested rules. By combining the two recording methods they plan to build a circuit-level picture of how these brain regions interact during different levels of learning complexity. The work is focused on understanding brain mechanisms behind learning, language, and memory.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates include adults who can travel to New York City for study visits, including healthy volunteers for MEG sessions and people with epilepsy who are undergoing intracranial monitoring at NYU.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate clinical treatment or symptom relief should not expect direct medical benefit, since the project is focused on basic brain mechanisms rather than testing treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could improve understanding of language and memory problems and eventually inform new diagnostic tools or therapies for cognitive deficits.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has shown hippocampal and cortical involvement in statistical learning, but combining MEG and intracranial EEG to produce a detailed circuit model across increasing complexity is novel.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- New York University School of Medicine — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Henin, Simon — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Henin, Simon
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.