Psychology

Forming cognitive maps for abstract spaces: the roles of the human hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex

Y. Qiu, H. Li, et al.

Using fMRI and a deep neural network to track learning, this study reveals how the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and prefrontal regions construct cognitive maps in multidimensional abstract spaces—distinguishing exploration (hippocampus and lateral PFC linked to better learning and accuracy) from exploitation (OFC and retrosplenial cortex linked to lower learning and accuracy). This research was conducted by Yidan Qiu, Huakang Li, Jiajun Liao, Kemeng Chen, Xiaoyan Wu, Bingyi Liu, and Ruiwang Huang.