Abstract: Prospective memory means that remembering to execute planned events or acts at a time in the future. Prospective memory processing involves complex cognitive processes. Although 一n recent years, we obtain a lot of achievements in prospective memory, its neural mechanism is still a mystery. Clinical researches on prospective memory provides a lot of important empirical evidences, and thus becomes one of the important ways to study the neural mechanisms of prospective memory. This paper summarized the related literatures of prospective memory brain mechanisms and introduced the role of the prefrontal cortex, thalamus, medial temporal lobe and other brain regions in prospective memory. From clinical point of view, we analyzed the neural mechanisms of prospective memory through researching on the studies of the prospective memory of the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder children, patients with Alzheimer's disease, Alcohol Dependency Syndrome and Medial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy patients. The evidences showed that the prefrontal cortex is mainly responsible for encoding, retrieving and monitoring processes in prospective memory, also has a close relationship with the intentions maintaining. The hypothalamus is related with the intentions implementation, and its interactions with the prefrontal cortex plays an important role in prospective memory monitoring. The medial temporal lobe is involved into the retrieval of the encoding source. There is a close relationship between the medial temporal lobe and the intentions activating. Researches displayed that the four stages of prospective memory processing are damaged for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder children, and the intention formation stage was damaged heavily. Patients with Alzheimer's disease, whose prefrontal and medial temporal lobe was damaged, and they are difficult in identifying clues and maintaining intentions. The prefrontal cortex and thalamus of Alcohol Dependency Syndrome patients was injured. These patients can be aware of their prospective memory impairment, but it seems that they can’t adore some internal or external strategies to address these deficiencies. The ability of intentions activating of the patients of Medial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy was impaired, and the link between the cues and the intentions has been violated. This study suggests that the prefrontal cortex may be involved in all the stages of prospective memory process and it may play a central role in the prospective memory processing. Studies also show that the prefrontal cortex as well as the interaction among some brain regions: prefrontal cortex, thalamus and medial temporal lobe maybe the neural basis of prospective memory encoding, maintaining, retrieving and implementation.

Key words: prospective memory, prefrontal lobe, thalamus, medial temporal lobe, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease, Alcohol Dependency Syndrome, Medial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

摘要： 前瞻记忆是指对预定事件或行为的记忆。本文总结了前瞻记忆脑机制相关的文献，介绍了前额皮层、丘脑，内侧颞叶等脑区域在前瞻记忆中的作用，并通过分析注意缺陷多动障碍儿童、老年痴呆症患者、酒精依赖症和内侧颞叶癫痫患者前瞻记忆的表现，从临床角度深入探讨了前瞻记忆神经机制的问题。证据表明，前额皮层参与前瞻记忆的编码、提取和监控过程，与意向保持也有密切的关系；丘脑与意向的执行有关，并且与前额叶互动在前瞻记忆监控中起着重要的作用；内侧颞叶与编码来源的提取和意向的激活都有密切的关系。研究认为前额皮层在前瞻记忆加工过程中起着核心的作用，同时与丘脑、内侧颞叶等区域相互作用，共同成为前瞻记忆编码、保持、提取、执行的神经基础。

关键词: 前瞻记忆, 额叶, 丘脑, 颞叶, 注意缺陷多动障碍, 老年痴呆症, 酒精依赖症, 内测颞叶癫痫症