The study addresses major open questions in the theoretical model of memory.

Overview: Communication between the medial temporal lobe and the prefrontal cortex determines how our experience is memorable. As areas of the brain mature, the exact way they interact allows for better formation of long-term memory.

Source: Wayne State University

A research team led by a faculty member at Wayne State University has decided how communication between two major memory areas in the brain can be part of what we remember to experience. As the territory matures, we have found that the exact way they interact makes us good at forming lasting memories.

The study “Separable Vibration Theta Signature of Memory Formation in the Developing Brain” was published in the February 15 issue. Current biology..

According to researchers, the interaction between the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC), two areas of the brain that play important roles in supporting memory formation, is responsible for the strong increase in memory. Ability between childhood and adulthood that has long been suspected to be. To understand the nature of these interactions, they examined rare cortical electroencephalogram (ECoG) data simultaneously recorded from MTL and PFC in neurosurgery patients, children, and adults who attempted to memorize pictures of the scene. rice field. Using these unique data, researchers investigated how MTL-PFC interactions support memory development.

“We think of it as a coordinated variation in electrical brain activity in two different brain signals that underlie memory: theta frequency, both slow (~ 3 Hz) and fast (~ 7 Hz) theta. We started by identifying the vibrations that could occur. Formation in MTL. Then we continued to separate the unique effects of these fast and slow theta vibrations on the MTL-PFC interaction. ” Dr. Noah Orphen, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Science and a faculty member of the Institute of Institute, said. Wayne State University Gerontology, Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute, and Translational Neuroscience Program. “Both vibrations emphasize the interaction of MTL-PFC, but it turns out to be a complementary and unique method, and these distinct features of the interaction between storage regions are the normal formation of memory. I was also excited to decide if it was. “

The team then asked if these signatures of the MTL-PFC interaction directly explain the better memory of older people compared to younger individuals. In fact, we found that the MTL-PFC interaction just before the start of the scene distinguishes between high-performance adolescents and poor-performing adolescents and children. It shows a direct relationship with memory development.

Another finding in this study is that there seems to be an age difference between fast and slow theta vibrations. Slow theta frequencies slow down with age, and fast theta frequencies increase. This is an important new discovery with potential implications for understanding brain development and the age-related differences in cognitive abilities.

Interested in the underlying anatomical infrastructure that triggers memory-supporting interactions, the team combined the findings with diffusion-weighted MRI data from a subset of subjects. They found that the neurophysiological features of memory development were associated with the structural maturation of the cingulate gyrus, a particular white matter tract.

Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, an assistant professor of medicine, social sciences and pediatrics at Northwestern University, said:

“The findings suggest that memory development is rooted in the development of the brain’s ability to multitask. Here we adjust different slow and fast theta networks along the same area. Tells us the basics about how memory is and what it is. “

The lead authors of this study are Dr. Elizabeth L. Johnson, a former Wayne State University postdoc and assistant professor, and Dr. Noah Orphen, an associate professor of psychology and faculty. A member of the Gerontology Institute, Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute, and Wayne State University’s Translational Neuroscience Program. Other co-authors are Wayne State University graduate students Qin Yin and Nolan O’Hara. Dr. Lingfei Tang, a postdoc at Wayne State University. Dr. Hideshi Asano and Dr. Justin John, Department of Child Neurology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Michigan.

Funds: This study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIMH R01MH107512, NINDS R00NS115918, NINDS R01NS64033, and NINDS R01089659).

About this memory research news

author: Julie O’Connor
Source: Wayne State University
contact: Julie O’Connor – Wayne State University
image: Image is credited to Julian Wong

Independent research: Open access.
“”Separable vibration thetasign of memory formation in the developing brain“Noa Ofen et al. Current biology

Overview

See also

Separable vibration thetasign of memory formation in the developing brain

highlight

• Pediatric ECoG reveals how major storage areas interact during memory formation
• Slow and fast theta frequencies are double dissociated and age-dependent
• The medial temporal and prefrontal cortex are connected via separate mechanisms
• Enhanced binding and cingulate integrity predict age-related memory acquisition

Overview

Understanding complex human brain functions is critically informed by studying such functions during development. Here, we addressed a major gap in the human memory model by leveraging rare direct electrophysiological records from children and adolescents. Specifically, memory depends on the interactions between the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and the maturation of these interactions plays an important role in supporting memory development. Is believed to fulfill.

To understand the nature of the MTL-PFC interaction, we examined subdural recordings from MTL and PFC of 21 neurosurgery patients aged 5.9 to 20.5 years who performed an established scene memory task. By comparing studies of subsequently recognized and forgotten scenes in a single trial, we determined the signs of memory formation.

The results show that MTL and PFC interact through two different theta mechanisms. Vibrations of about 3 Hz that support amplitude coupling and slow down with age, and vibrations of about 7 Hz that support phase coupling and increase speed with age. The slow and fast theta interactions just before the start of the scene further explained the age-related differences in cognitive performance. Finally, additional diffusion imaging data was used to correlate both functional mechanisms with the structural maturation of the cingulate gyrus.

Our findings establish system-level dynamics of memory formation and suggest that MTL and PFC interact through increasingly separable mechanisms as memory improves throughout development.