As time passes after an initial learning experience, our memories do not remain perfectly unchanged. They may become more durable, may gradually lose their level of precision and detail, or may become incorporated into existing knowledge structures that inform and constrain our understanding of the world around us. These changes, in turn, are thought to be accompanied by transformations in how such memories are represented in the brain, both in the medial temporal lobe and the surrounding cortex.
Broadly, we are interested in this process of memory consolidation, and what neural mechanisms might serve to help preserve, strengthen, and even transform memory representations after learning.
Funding