Hupbach Almut, Hardt Oliver, Gomez Rebecca, Nadel Lynn
Department of Psychology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
Learn Mem. 2008 Aug 6;15(8):574-9. doi: 10.1101/lm.1022308. Print 2008 Aug.
Understanding the dynamics of memory change is one of the current challenges facing cognitive neuroscience. Recent animal work on memory reconsolidation shows that memories can be altered long after acquisition. When reactivated, memories can be modified and require a restabilization (reconsolidation) process. We recently extended this finding to human episodic memory by showing that memory reactivation mediates the incorporation of new information into existing memory. Here we show that the spatial context plays a unique role for this type of memory updating: Being in the same spatial context during original and new learning is both necessary and sufficient for the incorporation of new information into existing episodic memories. Memories are automatically reactivated when subjects return to an original learning context, where updating by incorporating new contents can occur. However, when in a novel context, updating of existing memories does not occur, and a new episodic memory is created instead.
理解记忆变化的动态过程是认知神经科学目前面临的挑战之一。最近关于记忆再巩固的动物研究表明，记忆在获取后很长时间仍可被改变。当记忆被重新激活时，它可以被修改并需要一个重新稳定（再巩固）的过程。我们最近通过表明记忆重新激活介导新信息融入现有记忆，将这一发现扩展到人类情景记忆。在这里，我们表明空间背景在这种类型的记忆更新中起着独特的作用：在原始学习和新学习期间处于相同的空间背景对于将新信息融入现有情景记忆既是必要的也是充分的。当受试者回到原始学习背景时，记忆会自动重新激活，在那里可以通过纳入新内容进行更新。然而，当处于新的背景中时，现有记忆不会更新，而是会创建一个新的情景记忆。
