| The primary focus of research in our laboratory
is on the neurobiological bases of memory. Evidence indicates
that memory is not a unitary phenomenon, but instead is organized
in multiple brain systems that differ in terms of the type of
memory they mediate. Our research emphasizes identification of
neural structures mediating different forms of memory, investigation
of the neurochemical bases of multiple memory systems, and elucidation
of the psychological operating principles that distinguish different
types of memory. In particular, we have dissociated the role of
the mammalian hippocampus and basal ganglia in “cognitive” and
“habit” memory processes, respectively, and investigated the role
of dopaminergic, cholinergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission
in these forms of memory. Other findings from our laboratory suggest
that a third brain structure, the amygdala, plays a general modulatory
role in memory, such that activation of this structure influences
both hippocampal-dependent and striatal-dependent memory storage
processes. Additional research interests include examination of
hormonal influences on cognition, and the interaction of sex steroids
with brain reward systems. A long-range goal of our research is
to understand the implications that a multiple systems hypothesis
of memory organization has for several areas of psychological
research.
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| Packard, M. G. & Knowlton, B. J.
(2002). Learning and Memory Functions of the Basal Ganglia. Annual
Review of Neuroscience, 25, 563-593.
Packard, M. G. and Cahill, L. (2001). Affective
modulation of multiple memory systems. Current Opinion in Neurobiology,
11, 752-755.
Packard, M. G. (1999). Glutamate infused post-training
into the hippocampus or caudate-putamen differentially strengthens
place and response learning. Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, 96, 12881-12886.
Packard, M. G., Cahill. L., & McGaugh, J.
L. (1994). Amygdala modulation of hippocampal-dependent and caudate-dependent
memory processes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
91, 8477-8481.
Packard, M. G., Hirsh, R., & White, N. M. (1989) Differential
effects of fornix and caudate nucleus lesions on two radial maze
tasks: evidence for multiple memory systems. Journal of Neuroscience,
9, 1465-1472, 1989. |