The Theory of Reconsolidation - What is it and how can it impact on our lives?
Learning is a very important aspect of humans and creatures alike. Not only is it essential to the survival and adaption into this world but it also defines who we are as individuals (Schiller et al, 2010; Tronson & Taylor, 2007). Memories from past experiences shape the people that we are today. A crucial element to learning is memory, without it we would not be able to retain information. The process of memory is very distinct and consists of several different stages: acquisition of memory, consolidation, retrieval and then either reconsolidation or extinction (Debiec & Ledoux, 2004; Diergaarde, Schoffelmeer & De Vries, 2008). As memory is such a critical aspect of learning, it is no wonder that its distinct process has become the topic of much research in the neurobiological universe (Hupbach et al, 2007; Nader & Hardt, 2009).
After a new memory is learnt, it enters the process of encoding during which the memory is labile and capable of disruption until it becomes stabilised over a period of time (Nader & Einarsson, 2010; Nader et al, 2000). This process is called consolidation and originally consisted of the theory that once stabilised in the brain, it remains fixed (Suzuki et al, 2004). This theory has been rebutted by the acceptance of reconsolidation, a theory that imposes the ideology that when memories are retrieved, through similar experiences (Lee, 2009), they become labile until,
Memory refers to the persistence of learning in a state that can be revealed at a later time (Squire, 1987). A memory is a network of neocortical neurons and the connections that link them. That network is formed by experience as a result of the concurrent activation of neuronal ensembles that
Among these different processes are encoding, storage, consolidation, and retrieval. This study hypothesized that the hippocampus plays a different role in each of these. The method of this study is especially unique because it used temporary chemical inactivation of the hippocampus, which had not been done before. This temporary inactivation is unique because it lets the researchers selectively assess the role of the hippocampus during each of the processes discussed above. To test encoding, the inactivation occurred during learning of a maze task; to test retrieval, inactivation occurred during a retention task. Results indicate the temporary inactivation of the hippocampus impairs both encoding and retrieval. To test long-term consolidation, rats were trained and then separate groups received hippocampal treatment for different amounts of time between one and five days. Results showed that temporary inactivation during this time period disrupts memory for the already learned task. This study partially supports the result of the study by Eldridge et al. (2000) in that they both show the hippocampus is necessary for memory retrieval. However, it does not address the retrieval of different types of memory. This study also supports the idea from Wang et al. (2012) that the hippocampus may be involved in consolidation and storage of new memories but not necessarily of older
There is extensive evidence to prove that the hippocampus plays a vital role in memory retrieval. However the extent to what type of memories the hippocampus supports and the process in which retrieval occurs is an ongoing debate. The two theories that are dominant in this debate are the Standard Model of Systems Consolidation (SMSC) and the Multiple Trace Theory (MTT). This paper will provide a review on the evidence supporting these two composing theories, the research providing evidence against the models, and finally their limitations. Additionally, a novel theory coined the Competitive Trace Theory (CTT) will be reviewed in order to conclude whether or not this model can provide a more holistic and accurate representation of the role of the hippocampus in memory retrieval while simultaneously providing explanations for flaws in previously proposed models.
* Consolidation- hypothetical process involving gradual conversion of information into memory codes stored in long term memory.
When we recall these memories, we re-consolidate them by reactivating the neutrons that compose our memory, which allows us to create new connections. This encourages learning by strengthening these connections and allowing them.
Consolidation is the process by which an acquired memory is stabilized (Mastin, 2010). It begins when information is “bound into a memory trace by the hippocampus and related structures in the medial temporal lobes and diencephalon” (Nadel & Moscovitch, 1997, p. 217). This involves long term
Hippocampus is a small, curved region, which exists in both hemispheres of the brain and plays a vital role in emotions, learning and acquisition of new information. It also contributes majorly to long term memory, which is permanent information stored in the brain. Although long term memory is the last information that can be forgotten, its impairment has become very common nowadays. The dysfunction is exemplified by many neurological disorders such as amnesia. There are two types of amnesia, anterograde and retrograde. Anterograde amnesia is inability in forming new information, while retrograde refers to the loss of the past memory. As suggested by Cipolotti and Bird (2006), hippocampus’s lesions are
The formation of new memories requires protein synthesis dependent changes in synaptic structure and plasticity in the hippocampus. Studies in humans and animals suggest that these memories are initially stored in hippocampus but later transferred to cortex for permanent storage. This phenomenon is described as systems consolidation of memories. While the specific role for new protein synthesis in hippocampus in early encoding of memories is established, whether protein synthesis in medial prefrontal cortex play a major role in encoding of memories is unclear. To address this question, we used contextual fear conditioning (CFC) of mouse, a behavior training that induce long lasting memories. A single training session produces robust lifelong memory (8) that can be measured using automated procedures (9). Several studies have used CFC training as a model to study hippocampal-cortical communications and mechanisms underlying systems consolidation of memories. Contextual fear memories are initially stored in hippocampus and then moved to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for long-term storage.
This wild discrepancy between two radical memories obviously implies that memories are easily susceptible to change and impermanent. However, this knowledge is fairly new to memory scientists. Just a few decades ago, scientists discovered consolidation, the process during which a memory evolves from a short-term memory to a long-term memory in order to solidify the memory in our brains (Specter 4). After discovering the phenomenon, scientists assumed that this process meant that our memories were permanent after being consolidated, and their question evolved from memories’ permanence to the amount of time it took for a memory to be fully cemented in the mind. Though the majority of scientists unquestionably believed that memories were permanent,
When forgotten and then remembered, the memory requires some form of restabilization such that the new information can re-incorporate itself with existing memory. Processual memory can be used in this context as well as when given new information or experience, a person’s association with an existing memory can change. No two memories are the same, which is why even the recirculation of memory can become corrupt over time and differ from the truth in relation to a process also known as “Rememory” as seen in Toni Morrison’s Beloved. The act of memory preservation is impossible as over enough time the memory will be muddled and the true context of the event will be forgotten. It is a process that we are unaware of until explicitly focused on because when people remember something that was once forgotten and the original memory is re-written it consolidates the image of that memory as the original. For example, if someone was remembering himself or herself as the star of a child play it could be a reformatted version of a memory of the play that was less than stellar. The idea of memory consolidation is to form coherent memory that people convince themselves to be true even if not recognized as the whole truth by reconstructing past
"Memory is composed of several different abilities that depend on different brain systems (1). A fundamental distinction is between the capacity for conscious recollection of facts and events (declarative or explicit memory) and various
This first section also discussed the last ice age during the Pleistocene Epoch during which glaciers covered around 30% of the earth and enabled migration across land bridges they formed and created the Great Lakes. The second part of the notes examined "Evidence of Past Ice Ages." This evidence includes land formations such as U-Shaped valleys moraines, and drumlins; marine microfossils that can reveal a lot of information about past glaciation; and ice core records in the Antarctic and Greenland. Finally, the last section of the video discussed "Causes of Ice Ages." Among these are Milankovitch cycles, plate tectonics and ocean circulation, and changes in atmospheric composition. The Greenhouse effect was also addressed in this section, with manmade and natural causes being presented. An explanation of the concern regarding the Greenhouse effect was also discussed: more melting sea ice will impact several areas of human life including health, agriculture, our forests, our water resources, and our coastal areas. In the end, it was mentioned that climate change is a natural process, but humans need to be aware of their influence in alteration or accelerating these changes to prevent
Memory makes us. It is, to an extent, a collection of unique and personal experiences that we, as individuals, have amassed over our lifetime. It is what connects us to our past and what shapes our present and the future. If we are unable remember the what, when, where, and who of our everyday lives, our level of functioning would be greatly impacted. Memory is defined as or recognized as the “sum or total of what we remember.” Memory provides us the ability to learn and adjust to or from prior experiences. In addition, memory or our ability to remember plays an integral role in the building and sustaining of relationships. Additionally, memory is also a process; it is how we internalize and store our external environment and experiences. It entails the capacity to remember past experiences, and the process of recalling previous experiences, information, impressions, habits and skills to awareness. It is the storage of materials learned and/or retained from our experiences. This fact is demonstrated by the modification, adjustment and/or adaptation of structure or behavior. Furthermore, we as individuals, envision thoughts and ideas of the present through short-term memory, or in our working memory, we warehouse past experiences and learned values in long-term memory, also referred to as episodic or semantic memory. Most importantly, memory is malleable and it is intimately linked to our sense of identity and where we believe we belong in the world.
Storage in human memory is one of three core process of memory, along with Recall and Encoding. It refers to the retention of information, which has been achieved through the encoding process, in the brain for a prolonged period of time until it is accessed through recall. Modern memory psychology differentiates the two distinct type of memory storage: short-term memory and long-term memory. In addition, different memory models have suggested variations of existing short-term and long-term memory to account for different ways of storing memory