The ability of an organism to develop, maintain, and act upon an abstracted internal representation of spatially extensive environments can provide an increased chance in ensuring that organism's survival. Here, we propose a neurocognitive model of spatial representation describing how several different processes interact and segregate the differing types of information used to produce a unified cognitive map. This model proposes that view-based egocentric and vestibulomotor translational information are functionally and anatomically separate, and that these parallel systems result in independent, but interacting, models within a neurocognitive map of space. In this context, we selectively review relevant portions of the large literature, addressing the establishment and operation of such spatial constructs in humans and the brain systems that underpin them, with particular reference to the hippocampal formation (HF). We present a reinterpretation of the types of knowledge used in the formation of this spatial construct, the processes that act upon this information, the nature of the final spatial representation, and describe how these universal concepts relate to the proposed model of spatial processing. The relevant experimental paradigms used to examine the neural basis of spatial representation and the main findings from previous research are also briefly presented. Finally, we detail a series of testable theoretical, behavioral, and anatomical predictions made by the model.

Few tests address the types of memory problem commonly reported after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Here, we focus on the importance of neuropsychological assessment in ECT-treated patients and describe a number of tasks that may be useful in measuring the everyday memory problems of such patients with ongoing memory difficulties. At the time of writing, no attempts have been made to rehabilitate patients who experience persistent adverse cognitive effects, but clinicians should be aware of the potential beneficial role of cognitive rehabilitation in the treatment and management of these effects. In a recent issue of APT, Robertson & Pryor (2006) drew attention to a number of issues regarding the assessment of cognitive function in patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT

BackgroundRepeated rehearsal is one method by which verbal material may be transferred from short- to long-term memory. We hypothesised that extended engagement of memory structures through prolonged rehearsal would result in enhanced efficacy of recall and also of brain structures implicated in new learning. Twenty-four normal participants aged 55-70 (mean = 60.1) engaged in six weeks of rote learning, during which they learned 500 words per week every week (prose, poetry etc.). An extensive battery of memory tests was administered on three occasions, each six weeks apart. In addition, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was used to measure metabolite levels in seven voxels of interest (VOIs) (including hippocampus) before and after learning.ResultsResults indicate a facilitation of new learning that was evident six weeks after rote learning ceased. This facilitation occurred for verbal/episodic material only, and was mirrored by a metabolic change in left posterior hippocampus, specifically an increase in NAA/(Cr+Cho) ratio.ConclusionResults suggest that repeated activation of memory structures facilitates anamnesis and may promote neuronal plasticity in the ageing brain, and that compliance is a key factor in such facilitation as the effect was confined to those who engaged fully with the training.

Results confirmed previous findings and revealed novel statistically significant factors that contributed to attitudes towards ECT. Further replications are required to examine the findings' robustness and the relationship between attitudes, knowledge and experience. Such research can help increase the understanding of ECT and remove the stigmatisation associated with ECT. Mental health education programmes should consider the relation between knowledge and attitudes to better inform programme focus and content.