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NEUROSCIENCE Fast track to the neocortex: A memory engram in the posterior parietal cortex S. Brodt 1,2 *, S. Gais 1 , J. Beck 1 , M. Erb 2,3 , K. Scheffler 2,3 , M. Schönauer 1,2,4 Models of systems memory consolidation postulate a fast-learning hippocampal store and a slowly developing, stable neocortical store. Accordingly, early neocortical contributions to memory are deemed to reflect a hippocampus-driven online reinstatement of encoding activity. In contrast, we found that learning rapidly engenders an enduring memory engram in the human posterior parietal cortex.We assessed microstructural plasticity via diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging as well as functional brain activity in an objectlocation learning task. We detected neocortical plasticity as early as 1 hour after learning and found that it was learning specific, enabled correct recall, and overlapped with memory-related functional activity.These microstructural changes persisted over 12 hours. Our results suggest that new traces can be rapidly encoded into the parietal cortex, challenging views of a slow-learning neocortex. S ystems memory consolidation is considered a slow process of neuronal reorganization. Fresh memories rely on the hippocampus, which reinstates the cortical ensembles that were active during encoding, whereas neo- cortical memory develops more slowly, through frequent reactivation (1, 2). Recent findings sug- gest that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) can acquire a memory representation rapidly during learning (3, 4). It is unclear whether these early contributions go beyond an online reinstatement of previous activity or whether they originate from a true neocortical engram. Methodological advances have made it possible to track engrams in rodents, yet they have remained elusive in humans (57). In humans, multivariate analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can assess active memory representations during encoding and retrieval (8, 9), but this method is unable to distinguish between activity originating within a region and activity reinstated through input from another region. It thus cannot un- equivocally reveal the permanent location of the dormant trace. A memory engram has four defining features: (i) it must relate to a specific experience; (ii) it must engender an enduring change in the neural substrate; (iii) it can lie dormant for extended periods; and (iv) it must enable memory recall, thus having an impact on behavior (10, 11). To elucidate where memory formation leads to lasting physical changes, the microstructural modifications, e.g., of synapse number and mor- phology, which can occur within minutes after learning must be assessed (12). Diffusion- weighted MRI (DW-MRI) is sensitive to the microstructure of brain tissue (13) and can image experience-driven structural plasticity in the human brain noninvasively and in vivo (1416). We used fMRI and DW-MRI to demonstrate the dynamic contributions of neocortical areas RESEARCH Brodt et al., Science 362, 10451048 (2018) 30 November 2018 1 of 4 1 Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. 2 Max-Planck- Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany. 3 Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. 4 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] 7 4 x = 22 x = -18 z = 22 7 4 7 4 y = -66 x = 16 x = -16 x = -18 x = 18 A B C D 6 E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 runs -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 mean beta 0 20 40 60 80 100 recall %correct session 1 session 2 1 2 1st run of session -60 -40 -20 0 20 mean beta *** runs 1 2 3 4 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 bt mean e a *** hours control 0 3 13 14 1 t0 t1 t1 t2 t0 4 ER 1 ER 2 ER 3 ER t2 8 ER 5 R 6 ER 7 ER session 1 session 2 Fig. 1. Experience dependence, persistence, and correlation with performance of PPC activity during memory recall. (A) Experience- dependent increase with repetition. Mean beta values in the anatomically defined precuneus ROI for the first task session; linear contrast, ***P < 0.001, n = 39. (B) Persistently elevated precuneus responses after 12 hours. Mean beta values; two-sided t test, ***P < 0.001, n = 39. (C) Correlation of precuneus activation with memory performance. Mean beta values, black; mean percentage of correctly recalled item locations, red; one sample t test of z-transformed single-subject correlations, P < 0.001, n = 39. (D) Conjunction of the minimum statistic of all three analyses, green. Clusters exhibited significant peak-level effects at full-volumecorrected P FWE < 0.05 and exceeded 10 voxels. No masking. Beta values were corrected for baseline activation. Data are means ± SEM. Corresponding data from encoding are shown in fig. S1 and table S2. (E) Experimental design. An objectlocation learning task was trained for eight encoding (E)recall (R) runs with fMRI. DW-MRI was measured at t0 to t2. For the control condition, the learning task was omitted. on May 20, 2020 http://science.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from

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Page 1: NEUROSCIENCE Fast track to the neocortex: A memoryengram ... · A memoryengram in the posterior parietal cortex S. Brodt1,2*, S. Gais 1, J. Beck , M. Erb 2,3, K. Scheffler , M. Schönauer1,2,4

NEUROSCIENCE

Fast track to the neocortex:A memory engram in theposterior parietal cortexS. Brodt1,2*, S. Gais1, J. Beck1, M. Erb2,3, K. Scheffler2,3, M. Schönauer1,2,4

Models of systems memory consolidation postulate a fast-learning hippocampal store and aslowly developing, stable neocortical store. Accordingly, early neocortical contributions tomemory are deemed to reflect a hippocampus-driven online reinstatement of encodingactivity. In contrast, we found that learning rapidly engenders an enduring memory engramin the human posterior parietal cortex.We assessed microstructural plasticity viadiffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging as well as functional brain activity inan object–location learning task.We detected neocortical plasticity as early as 1 hour afterlearning and found that it was learning specific, enabled correct recall, and overlappedwith memory-related functional activity. These microstructural changes persisted over12 hours. Our results suggest that new traces can be rapidly encoded into the parietalcortex, challenging views of a slow-learning neocortex.

Systemsmemory consolidation is considereda slow process of neuronal reorganization.Fresh memories rely on the hippocampus,which reinstates the cortical ensembles thatwere active during encoding, whereas neo-

cortical memory develops more slowly, throughfrequent reactivation (1, 2). Recent findings sug-gest that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) can

acquire a memory representation rapidly duringlearning (3, 4). It is unclear whether these earlycontributions go beyond an online reinstatementof previous activity or whether they originatefrom a true neocortical engram. Methodologicaladvances have made it possible to track engramsin rodents, yet they have remained elusive inhumans (5–7). In humans, multivariate analysis

of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)can assess active memory representations duringencoding and retrieval (8, 9), but this method isunable to distinguish between activity originatingwithin a region and activity reinstated throughinput from another region. It thus cannot un-equivocally reveal the permanent location of thedormant trace.A memory engram has four defining features:

(i) it must relate to a specific experience; (ii) itmust engender an enduring change in the neuralsubstrate; (iii) it can lie dormant for extendedperiods; and (iv) it must enable memory recall,thus having an impact on behavior (10, 11). Toelucidate where memory formation leads tolasting physical changes, the microstructuralmodifications, e.g., of synapse number and mor-phology, which can occur within minutes afterlearning must be assessed (12). Diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) is sensitive to themicrostructure of brain tissue (13) and canimage experience-driven structural plasticityin the human brain noninvasively and in vivo(14–16).We used fMRI and DW-MRI to demonstrate

the dynamic contributions of neocortical areas

RESEARCH

Brodt et al., Science 362, 1045–1048 (2018) 30 November 2018 1 of 4

1Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology,University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. 2Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.3Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, UniversitätsklinikumTübingen, Tübingen, Germany. 4Princeton NeuroscienceInstitute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

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Fig. 1. Experience dependence, persistence, and correlation withperformance of PPC activity during memory recall. (A) Experience-dependent increase with repetition. Mean beta values in the anatomicallydefined precuneus ROI for the first task session; linear contrast, ***P < 0.001,n = 39. (B) Persistently elevated precuneus responses after 12 hours. Meanbeta values; two-sided t test, ***P<0.001, n=39. (C) Correlation of precuneusactivation with memory performance. Mean beta values, black; meanpercentage of correctly recalled item locations, red; one sample t test of

z-transformed single-subject correlations, P<0.001, n= 39. (D) Conjunction oftheminimumstatistic of all three analyses, green.Clusters exhibited significantpeak-level effects at full-volume–corrected PFWE < 0.05 and exceeded10 voxels. Nomasking. Beta values were corrected for baseline activation. Dataare means ± SEM. Corresponding data from encoding are shown in fig. S1and table S2. (E) Experimental design. An object–location learning task wastrained for eight encoding (E)–recall (R) runs with fMRI. DW-MRI wasmeasured at t0 to t2. For the control condition, the learning task was omitted.

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Page 2: NEUROSCIENCE Fast track to the neocortex: A memoryengram ... · A memoryengram in the posterior parietal cortex S. Brodt1,2*, S. Gais 1, J. Beck , M. Erb 2,3, K. Scheffler , M. Schönauer1,2,4

to memory during two sessions of four encoding–recall repetitions of an object–location associ-ation task (Fig. 1E, movie S1, and materials andmethods) and to identify the location of the en-gram engendered by the memory. First, weexamined in whole-brain analyses which regionsdisplayed changes in functional activity that in-dicated memory representations. We identified anexperience-dependent, increasing response over

repeated retrieval in the bilateral precuneus andareas along the dorsal visual stream, the cere-bellum, thalamus, andmotor areas (linear increasein the anatomically defined precuneus over firstsession: F1,38 = 26.76, P < 0.001, h2 = 0.404)(Fig. 1A and table S1A). This increased responseto successfully encoded stimuli persisted over a12-hour offline interval in the precuneus (t38 =4.50, P < 0.001) (Fig. 1B and table S1B). The

posterior parietal areas were also the only regionsfor which there was a significant correlationbetween memory performance and functionalbrain activity over retrieval repetitions (aver-age correlation on the single-subject level: r =0.378, t38 = 6.15, P < 0.001) (Fig. 1C and tableS1C). The above contrasts did not yield signifi-cant clusters in an anatomical region of interest(ROI) analysis of the hippocampus; however, we

Brodt et al., Science 362, 1045–1048 (2018) 30 November 2018 2 of 4

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Fig. 2. Learning induces rapid microstructural changes in the neocortex.Statistical maps on the left display whole-brain Montreal Neurological Institute(MNI) space group-level analyses. Significant decrease from t0 to t1 for thelearning condition, red, n=39; significant interactionwith the control condition,yellow, n=33.Two-sided t tests.Clusters exhibited significant peak-level effectsat Puncorr < 0.001 and exceeded 10 voxels. No masking. ROI analysis on theanatomically defined precuneus confirmed peak-level effects at PFDR < 0.05.The middle column shows sample gray matter masks of the native spaceanalyses on the raw, unsmoothed MD of the anatomically defined gray matterROIs. Distribution plots on the right show sample subject distributions of MD

differences between t0 and t1 for all ROI voxels. Learning condition, red; controlcondition, gray; vertical lines represent medians. All ROIs in (A) to (D), butnot the remaining gray matter (E), showed a left shift of the learningdistribution, indicating an MD decrease and thus learning-induced structuralplasticity. Bar graphs on the far right showgroup-level analyses,which confirmedregion-specific learning-induced MD decreases. Repeated-measures ANOVAs,n = 33. #P < 0.07, *P < 0.05. Data are means ± SEM. (F) The mean raw MDdecreases from t0 to t1 of all four ROIs were highly correlated to theoverall performance improvement from session 1 to session 2. Pearsoncorrelation, n = 39. Dots are single-subject values, and error bars are SEM.

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observed a subsequent memory effect duringencoding runs in the first task session, con-sistent with a role of the hippocampus in earlyencoding (fig. S4, table S9, and supplementarytext). In contrast, a strict conjunction analysisconfirmed that only the precuneus simulta-neously fulfilled all of the above criteria (Fig. 1Dand table S1D). Finally, to assess whether theactivity patterns in the precuneus were con-tent specific, we performed a multivariate pat-tern analysis. This analysis showed that it ispossible to decode category information of thestimuli from this area during memory encoding(P < 0.001) (fig. S2 and table S3). Our findingsshowed that the precuneus can hold a repre-sentation of retrieved information (8, 17–20).Still, the question remains, what type of infor-mation is processed in this area. We used as-sociative, explicitly learned material, which is,because of the low number of learning rep-etitions, at the border between episodic and

semantic memory. The precuneus is tightly in-tegrated into a network of memory-related brainregions (21) and is located at the crossroadsof multiple sensory pathways, which makes itideal for the processing of abstract informa-tion or higher-order multimodal associationsand a likely convergence zone for distributedmemory functions. In fact, the parietal cortexplays a critical role in integrating new informa-tion into existing schemas and has been iden-tified as a major node in the semantic system(22, 23).To qualify as an engram, a memory represen-

tationmust induce persistent structural plasticity.DW-MRI, and in particular mean diffusivity (MD),allows measurement of changes in brain micro-structure. Though it is only an indirect measure,there is strong evidence that decreased MD canreflect mechanisms of learning-dependent plas-ticity, e.g., astrocyte, myelin, or synaptic remodel-ing. Synapse density, brain-derived neurotrophic

factor expression, and astrocyte activation increaseafter learning at the sites where MD decreases,suggesting a tight link to experience-inducedstructural plasticity (14, 16, 24). Traditional viewssuggest that learning-related changes in the neo-cortex need frequent hippocampal reactivationover extended periods to develop (2). Unexpect-edly, we found robust microstructural changes,reflected by decreases in MD, already at 90 minafter learning in several bilateral areas along thedorsal and ventral visual streams (Fig. 2, left, andtable S4A), particularly in the precuneus [falsediscovery rate–corrected P value (PFDR) < 0.05],but not in the hippocampus (see the supple-mentary text). To test whether these changeswere learning specific, we compared them withchanges observed in a control condition withoutlearning between scans. We found significantlearning-induced changes in the left precuneus(Fig. 2A and table S4B), the left middle occipitalgyrus (Fig. 2B), the left fusiform gyrus (Fig. 2C),and the bilateral lingual gyri (Fig. 2D). For thesefour regions, analyses of variance (ANOVAs) onthe mean raw MD values confirmed that thesignificant interaction effect was based on MDdecreases in the learning condition and not inthe control condition (table S5A). Analyses ofthe raw, unsmoothed, subject-native space MDdata further corroborated these findings (Fig. 2,right, and table S5B). Thesemorphological changesalso correlated with memory performance. Sub-jects with higher structural plasticity had bettermemory retention from session 1 to session 2 (r39 =0.405, P = 0.010) (Fig. 2F).The final criterion of a memory engram is that

it persists over time. We measured long-termMD changes 12 hours after learning. All regionsthat showed rapid learning-induced structuralplasticity maintained these changes for morethan 12 hours. A significant long-lasting reduc-tion in MD was found again bilaterally in theprecuneus, along the dorsal and ventral visualprocessing streams, and in frontal regions [un-corrected P value (Puncorr) < 0.001] (Fig. 3 andtable S6A). These changes did not occur in thecontrol condition (interaction with control:Puncorr < 0.005) (Fig. 3 and table S6B). Analysesof the mean raw MD values again confirmedthis finding (Fig. 3, right, and table S5C). Usinga whole-brain joint inference approach, we fur-ther identified the precuneus, the middle oc-cipital gyrus, and the lingual gyrus as regions inwhich rapid and persistent learning-dependentstructural plasticity can be found (Fig. 3E andtable S7). Previous studies havemostly measuredrapid structural plasticity in the human brain atdelays similar to our short interval. Our datashow that the microstructural changes in theregions that display learning-induced rapidstructural plasticity remain stable for at least12 hours.We identified posterior parietal areas that

fulfilled all defining conditions of a memoryengram, i.e., they showed functional responsesthat were specifically related to the memory,were persistent over longer offline periods, andwere relevant for later memory recall. These

Brodt et al., Science 362, 1045–1048 (2018) 30 November 2018 3 of 4

Fig. 3. Learning-inducedpersistent microstruc-tural changes in theneocortex. (A to D) Long-term MD decreases. (Left)Whole-brain MNI spacegroup-level analyses.Decreases from t0 to t2 forthe learning condition,blue, n = 39; interactionwith the control condition,cyan, n = 33. Short-termchanges from Fig. 2 areshown in red and yellow.Two-sided t tests. Allclusters exhibited signifi-cant peak-level effects atPuncorr < 0.001 (learningcondition) and Puncorr <0.005 (interaction) andexceeded 10 voxels. Nomasking. (Right) Mean rawMD changes for short-term(red) and long-term (blue)intervals. Repeated-measuresANOVAs confirmed thatthe interaction effectsstem from a selectivedecrease in the learningcondition. #P ≤ 0.07, *P <0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P ≤0.001, n = 33. Data aremeans ± SEM. (E) Jointinference analyses onshort-term and long-termMD decreases. Non-parametric combinationtest, purple, n = 33; con-junction analysis of theminimum statistic, green,Puncorr < 0.001, n = 39.Clusters exceeded10 voxels. No masking.

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Page 4: NEUROSCIENCE Fast track to the neocortex: A memoryengram ... · A memoryengram in the posterior parietal cortex S. Brodt1,2*, S. Gais 1, J. Beck , M. Erb 2,3, K. Scheffler , M. Schönauer1,2,4

regions also showed structural–plastic changesthat conformed to the same criteria. Thus, a trueneocortical engram developed rapidly, after onlyfour rounds of rehearsal. Similarly, studies inrodents have revealed that neocortical engramcells are already tagged during encoding andhave detected experience-dependentmicrostruc-tural changes as early as 1 hour after learning(5, 6, 25, 26). We suggest that such rapid learning-induced neocortical plasticity arises from mul-tiple encoding–recall repetitions (4, 27). ThePPC’s ability to accumulate new informationover several minutes (28) and learn associa-tions between well-known object schemata (29)might allow particularly fast neocorticalmemoryformation.We next used joint inference to identify re-

gions that meet mnemonic criteria in both imag-ing modalities. A nonparametric combinationapproach yielded significant clusters in themiddleoccipital gyrus [family-wise error correctedP value(PFWE) < 0.05] (Fig. 4A and table S8A) and theprecuneus. The latter also survived a strict con-junction analysis (Puncorr < 0.001) (Fig. 4A andtable S8B). Thus, diffusivity decreased in regionsthat were functionally involved in memory. Ob-served online memory representations are thuslikely to rely on a true neocortical engram. Lookingmore broadly at the brain-wide relation betweenfunctional activity and structural plasticity, wefound that learning task-related functional ac-tivity was associated with short-term decreasesin MD (correlations of group-level t values, n =114,698 voxels; short term: r = 0.150, long term:r = −0.013; difference: z = 67.09, P < 0.001) (Fig.4B), whereas the memory-related linear increasein functional activity correlated more stronglywith the long-termMD decrease (short term: r =0.088; long term: r = 0.192; difference: z = −42.98,P < 0.001) (Fig. 4C). These findings suggest thatdifferent processes might underlie the micro-structural changes at different time pointsafter learning.

Although there is still debate about the func-tions of the different subregions of the PPC andtheir roles in working memory, memory-relatedattention, or reinstatement of previous experi-ence (3, 8), our study highlights the role of themedial PPC. Observing microstructural changesin the precuneus takes us frommemory process-ing and reinstatement to the memory engramitself (17). The fast temporal dynamics that weobserved challenge traditional models of slowsystems consolidation (2) and suggest that newtraces are encoded rapidly in the neocortex fromthe onset of learning. In addition, we detectedlearning-specific, persistentmicrostructural changesupstream along the dorsal and ventral visualpathways, which is in line with the notion ofdistributed neocortical memory traces (8, 11).Apart from their role in perception, visual areasprocess memory content, suggesting memorystorage also at this level (30, 31). Indeed, manyaccounts regard perception andmemory not asfaculties of different systems but as being lo-calizedwithin the samedistributedneural circuits(28). Combining functional imaging with diffu-sion imaging might help transform our view ofhow the brain translates perception intomemory.

REFERENCES AND NOTES

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Funding: This project was supported by the European Social Fund andby the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg.Author contributions: S.B., S.G., M.E., K.S., and M.S. designed theresearch; S.B., J.B., M.E., and M.S. performed the experiments; S.B. andJ.B. analyzed the functional and behavioral data; S.B. analyzed thediffusion data; S.B., S.G., and M.S. wrote the manuscript. Competinginterests: The authors declare no competing interests. Data andmaterials availability: The raw data and computer code necessary tounderstand and assess the conclusions of the study can be downloadedfrom the Open Science Framework platform: osf.io/pnxje.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

www.sciencemag.org/content/362/6418/1045/suppl/DC1Materials and MethodsSupplementary TextFigs. S1 to S4Tables S1 to S9References (32–51)Movie S1

22 May 2018; accepted 10 October 201810.1126/science.aau2528

Brodt et al., Science 362, 1045–1048 (2018) 30 November 2018 4 of 4

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x = -36 x = -19

A

Fig. 4. Relationship between functional activity and microstructuralplasticity. (A) Joint inference analyses of simultaneous learning-inducedfunctional (recall) and microstructural changes. Nonparametric combinationtest, purple, full-volume–corrected PFWE < 0.05, n = 33; conjunction analysis ofthe minimum statistic, green, Puncorr < 0.001, n = 39. Clusters exceeded10 voxels. Nomasking.Corresponding datawith functional activity fromencodingare shown in fig. S3. (B and C) Pearson correlations between t values fromgroup analyses of functional activity and MD decrease; Steiger’s z-test, P <0.001, n = 114,698. Data points are bins ofmultiple voxels, and colors representvoxel frequencies per bin. (B) The correlation between general learning task-related activity and MD decreases from the short to the long interval.(C) The correlation with explicitly memory-related activity increases over time.

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Page 5: NEUROSCIENCE Fast track to the neocortex: A memoryengram ... · A memoryengram in the posterior parietal cortex S. Brodt1,2*, S. Gais 1, J. Beck , M. Erb 2,3, K. Scheffler , M. Schönauer1,2,4

Fast track to the neocortex: A memory engram in the posterior parietal cortexS. Brodt, S. Gais, J. Beck, M. Erb, K. Scheffler and M. Schönauer

DOI: 10.1126/science.aau2528 (6418), 1045-1048.362Science 

, this issue p. 1045; see also p. 994Sciencedynamics, challenge traditional views of systems memory consolidation.memory-related functional brain activity. These plastic changes in the posterior parietal cortex, and their fast temporalrapidly induced after learning, persisted for more than 12 hours, drove behavior, and was localized in areas displaying experience-dependent structural brain plasticity in human subjects (see the Perspective by Assaf). This plasticity wasresonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-weighted MRI during an associative declarative learning task to examine

combined functional magneticet al.physical trace develops only through reactivation over extended periods. Brodt neocortical memory representations reflect reinstatement processes initiated by the hippocampus and that a genuine

How fast do learning-induced anatomical changes occur in the brain? The traditional view postulates thatMemories reach the cortex rapidly

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REFERENCES

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