Perirhinal circuits for memory processing

Abstract

The perirhinal cortex (PRC) serves as the gateway to the hippocampus for episodic memory formation and plays a part in retrieval through its backward connectivity to various neocortical areas. First, I present the evidence suggesting that PRC neurons encode both experientially acquired object features and their associative relations. Recent studies have revealed circuit mechanisms in the PRC for the retrieval of cue-associated information, and have demonstrated that, in monkeys, PRC neuron-encoded information can be behaviourally read out. These studies, among others, support the theory that the PRC converts visual representations of an object into those of its associated features and initiates backward-propagating, interareal signalling for retrieval of nested associations of object features that, combined, extensionally represent the object meaning. I propose that the PRC works as the ventromedial hub of a 'two-hub model' at an apex of the hierarchy of a distributed memory network and integrates signals encoded in other downstream cortical areas that support diverse aspects of knowledge about an object.