Author:
Paller Ken A.,Voss Joel L.
Abstract
Do our memories remain static during sleep, or do they change? We argue
here that memory change is not only a natural result of sleep cognition, but
further, that such change constitutes a fundamental characteristic of
declarative memories. In general, declarative memories change due to retrieval
events at various times after initial learning and due to the formation and
elaboration of associations with other memories, including memories formed
after the initial learning episode. We propose that declarative memories
change both during waking and during sleep, and that such change contributes
to enhancing binding of the distinct representational components of some
memories, and thus to a gradual process of cross-cortical consolidation. As a
result of this special form of consolidation, declarative memories can become
more cohesive and also more thoroughly integrated with other stored
information. Further benefits of this memory reprocessing can include
developing complex networks of interrelated memories, aligning memories with
long-term strategies and goals, and generating insights based on novel
combinations of memory fragments. A variety of research findings are
consistent with the hypothesis that cross-cortical consolidation can progress
during sleep, although further support is needed, and we suggest some
potentially fruitful research directions. Determining how processing during
sleep can facilitate memory storage will be an exciting focus of research in
the coming years.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Subject
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience,Cognitive Neuroscience,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Cited by
92 articles.
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