Specialization of the human hippocampal long axis revisited

Abstract

The hippocampus possesses anatomical differences along its long axis. Here, we explored the functional specialization of the human hippocampal long axis using network-anchored precision functional MRI in two independent datasets (N = 11 and N = 9) paired with behavioral analysis (N = 266 and N = 238). Functional connectivity analyses demonstrated that the anterior hippocampus was preferentially correlated with a cerebral network associated with remembering, while the posterior hippocampus selectively contained a region correlated with a distinct network associated with behavioral salience. Seed regions placed within the hippocampus recapitulated the distinct cerebral networks. Functional characterization of the anterior and posterior hippocampal regions using task data identified and replicated a functional double dissociation. The anterior hippocampal region was sensitive to remembering and imagining the future, specifically tracking the process of scene construction, while the posterior hippocampal region displayed transient responses to targets in an oddball detection task and to transitions between task blocks. These findings suggest an unexpected specialization along the long axis of the human hippocampus with differential responses reflecting the functional properties of the partner cerebral networks.