Guest Speakers - 

Min-Whan Jung, PhD, KAIST

Discussion - 

"Hippocampus and Value"

The hippocampus has long been considered to process primarily cognitive variables related to spatial navigation and episodic memory, while value-related signals are processed elsewhere in the brain, such as the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex. In this talk, I will present evidence suggesting that the hippocampus, particularly the CA1 region, processes and represents robust value signals. I will then introduce a new model of the hippocampus—the simulation-selection model—based on this finding and neuroecological considerations. According to this model, the mammalian hippocampus has evolved to simulate and evaluate arbitrary navigation routes. Specifically, we propose that CA3 has evolved to simulate unexperienced navigation sequences in addition to remembering experienced ones, while CA1 has evolved to select from these CA3-generated sequences, reinforcing those likely to maximize reward. We argue that the simulation-selection organization of the hippocampus has evolved in mammals, but not in birds, because of the unique ecological and navigational needs of land animals. Although solid empirical evidence is missing for many aspects of the model, it may account for why the mammalian hippocampus has evolved not only to remember, but also to imagine future episodes, and how this might be implemented in its neural circuits.

Attendance Options - 

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