Mechanisms of learning and memory

For a long time, memory research has focused mainly on memory formation and the retrieval of stored memories. In particular in the neurosciences, it was generally assumed that memories would be rather stable once they are consolidated. Memories, however, are highly dynamic entities that undergo changes all the time. Classical psychological research on ‘hindsight bias’ or the ‘misinformation effect’ showed that memories can be altered by subsequent information. In the neurosciences, however, the dynamic nature of memory became only rather recently a topic of intense scientific inquiry when the phenomenon of memory reconsolidation was rediscovered. According to the reconsolidation model, retrieval renders consolidated, seemingly stable memories labile, thus requiring another period of stabilization termed reconsolidation. During reconsolidation, memories can be weakened, strengthened, or updated. Past research from our group showed that reactivated episodic memories can be altered by stress or new learning experiences. Using fMRI, we found evidence suggesting that memory alterations during the reconsolidation window are represented in the same brain areas that are recruited during retrieval.

Adaptation to constantly changing environments requires individuals to constantly update their knowledge. Understanding how strong memories are built, how they can be updated, and how they are organized most efficiently has obvious implications for education and virtually every area of every-day life. Particularly far reaching consequences are associated with the phenomenon of memory reconsolidation. If we can modify memories once they are reactivated, this may provide a way to alter unwanted memories in disorders such as drug addiction or post-traumatic stress disorder and would also have important implications for educational settings.

We are interested in questions such as:

• How do memories evolve over time and what is the role of the hippocampus in remote memory?
• How can we incorporate new experiences into existing memories?
• How can we integrate separate elements into a coherent episode?

Selected publications:

Kluen, L. M., Dandolo, L. C., Jocham, G., & Schwabe, L. (2019). Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex enables updating of established memories. Cerebral Cortex, 29, 4154-4168.

Dandolo, L.C. & Schwabe, L. (2018) Time-dependent memory transformation along the hippocampal anterior-posterior axis. Nature Communications, 9, 1205.

Dandolo, L. C., & Schwabe, L. (2019). Time-dependent motor memory representations in prefrontal cortex. Neuroimage, 197, 143-155.

Kalbe, F., & Schwabe, L. (2020). Beyond arousal: prediction error related to aversive events promotes episodic memory formation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 46, 234-246.