Based on the neuro-functional association between navigation in the physical and the mental space at the level of the hippocampal-entorhinal system, Buzsáki and Moser (2013) have hypothesized a phylogenetic continuity between spatial navigation and declarative memory functions. According to this proposal, mechanisms of episodic and semantic memory would have evolved from mechanisms of self-based and map-based navigation in the physical space, respectively. Using classic versions of path integration and item recognition tasks in human subjects, we have recently described a correlation and a predictive relationship between abilities in egocentric navigation and episodic memory. Here we aim at confirming and extending this association to the dynamic component of sequential updating in the physical (egocentric navigation) and mental (episodic memory) space, and at investigating the relationship of these self-centered abilities with semantic memory. To this aim, we developed three new experimental tasks in which the dynamic component of updating information is particularly emphasized in the spatial, the temporal, and the semantic domain. The contribution of visual short-term memory to the three tasks was also controlled by including an additional task. The results confirmed the existence of a direct and predictive relationship between self-based spatial navigation and episodic memory. We also found a significant association between egocentric navigation and semantic memory, but this relationship was explained by short-term memory abilities and was mediated by episodic memory functions. Our results support the hypothesis of an evolutionary link between mechanisms that allow spatial navigation in the physical space and time travel in the mental space.

基于海马-内嗅系统水平上的物理空间和心理空间导航之间的神经功能关联，Buzsáki 和 Moser (2013) 假设了空间导航和陈述性记忆功能之间的系统发育连续性。根据这一提议，情景记忆和语义记忆机制将分别从物理空间中基于自我和基于地图的导航机制演变而来。使用人类受试者的路径整合和项目识别任务的经典版本，我们最近描述了自我中心导航和情景记忆能力之间的相关性和预测关系。在这里，我们的目的是确认并将这种关联扩展到物理（自我中心导航）和心理（情景记忆）空间中顺序更新的动态组成部分，并研究这些以自我为中心的能力与语义记忆的关系。为此，我们开发了三个新的实验任务，其中特别强调在空间、时间和语义领域更新信息的动态成分。视觉短期记忆对这三项任务的贡献也通过包含一项额外任务来控制。结果证实了基于自我的空间导航和情景记忆之间存在直接的预测关系。我们还发现自我中心导航和语义记忆之间存在显着关联，但这种关系是由短期记忆能力解释的，并由情景记忆功能介导。我们的结果支持了物理空间中的空间导航和心理空间中的时间旅行的机制之间存在进化联系的假设。