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Title: Replay-based consolidation governs enduring memory storage
The human ability to remember unique experiences from many years ago comes so naturally that we often take it for granted. It depends on three stages: (1) encoding, when new information is initially registered, (2) storage, when encoded information is held in the brain, and (3) retrieval, when stored information is used. Historically, cognitive neuroscience studies of memory have emphasized encoding and retrieval. Yet, the intervening stage may hold the most intrigue, and has become a major research focus in the years since the last edition of this book. Here we describe recent investigations of post-acquisition memory processing in relation to enduring storage. This evidence of memory processing belies the notion that memories stored in the brain are held in stasis, without changing. Various methods for influencing and monitoring brain activity have been applied to study offline memory processing. In particular, memories can be reactivated during sleep and during resting periods, with distinctive physiological correlates. These neural signals shed light on the contribution of hippocampal-neocortical interactions to memory consolidation. Overall, results converge on the notion that memory reactivation is a critical determinant of systems-level consolidation, and thus of future remembering, which in turn facilitates future planning and problem solving.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1829414
NSF-PAR ID:
10187208
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Cognitive Neurosciences, Sixth Edition, MIT Press.
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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