Hippocampus long-axis specialization throughout development: a meta-analysis

Abstract

The human adult hippocampus can be subdivided into the head, or anterior hippocampus and its body and tail, or posterior hippocampus, and a wealth of functional differences along the longitudinal axis have been reported. One line of literature emphasizes specialization for different aspects of cognition, whereas another emphasizes the unique role of the anterior hippocampus in emotional processing. While some research suggests that functional differences in memory between the anterior and posterior hippocampus appear early in development, it remains unclear whether this is also the case for functional differences in emotion processing. The goal of this meta-analysis was to determine whether the long-axis functional specialization observed in adults is present earlier in development. Using a quantitative meta-analysis, long-axis functional specialization was assessed using the data from 26 fMRI studies, which included 39 contrasts and 804 participants ranging in age from 4-21 years. Results indicated that overall emotion was localized to the anterior hippocampus, with memory being localized to the posterior hippocampus, demonstrating long-axis specialization with regard to memory and emotion in children similar to that seen in adults.