# Hippocampal-cortical networks underlying memory retrieval of linguistic knowledge

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $200,178

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Language and memory overlap heavily in brain circuitry and in our day-to-day lives. Both are also frequently
disrupted in neurological conditions such as temporal lobe epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. We have a
limited understanding of the mechanisms by which cortical language centers integrate with memory circuits; for
example, to support the retrieval of linguistic knowledge. This limits our insight into disease pathophysiology
and slows the development of more effective therapies for cognitive impairments. This K23 will support an
investigation of how language and memory integrate in the human brain, by harnessing unique innovations and
resources. First, we will use special high-density grid and depth electrodes to record from many hundreds of
local neuronal populations distributed throughout memory and language centers, among patients undergoing
intracranial monitoring for refractory epilepsy. Second, to target distinct moments of linguistic-mnemonic
integration, we have customized an auditory naming behavioral task that combines controlled yet natural
language stimuli with memory retrieval of linguistic knowledge. Third, I will apply state-of-the-art analyses with
pattern classifiers and computational linguistics, an approach that could improve the framework of how we
understand neural representations of deep language processing. I will first evaluate whether the activity
patterns in cortical language centers and the hippocampus reveal neural signatures of dynamic integration
during knowledge retrieval, and whether their activity patterns reflect mutual information sufficient to predict the
linguistic content of task trials (Aim 1). I will then use electrical stimulation to selectively disrupt neural
processing in these regions, to determine if and how they contribute to distinct stages of language and memory
integration (Aim 2). This approach will also allow us to probe whether the hippocampus is required for semantic
memory, a long-debated question arising from classic literature. My mentorship team has a constellation of
expertise aligning with my training plan and the goals of this investigation, including cortical language
neurophysiology, hippocampal memory neurophysiology, and investigative neurostimulation. This proposal
builds upon my prior expertise in translational intracranial recordings and neural signal processing, and my
long-term career goal of understanding and improving treatments for cognitive impairments in epilepsy. I will
receive training, coursework, and direct mentorship in skillsets that I will continue to use throughout my
scientific career, including language and memory neurophysiology, human neurostimulation, neuroethics,
machine learning, computational linguistics, scientific communication, and independent laboratory
management. The knowledge and training acquired during this award period will allow me to establish an
independent laboratory and emerge as a leader in human intracranial neurophysiology, a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9906282
- **Project number:** 5K23NS110920-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Jonathan Kleen
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $200,178
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9906282

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9906282, Hippocampal-cortical networks underlying memory retrieval of linguistic knowledge (5K23NS110920-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9906282. Licensed CC0.

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