Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Aug;19(8):475-82.
doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.06.002. Epub 2015 Jul 11.

Modulating reconsolidation: a link to causal systems-level dynamics of human memories

Marco Sandrini  1 , Leonardo G Cohen  2 , Nitzan Censor  3
Affiliations
Review

Modulating reconsolidation: a link to causal systems-level dynamics of human memories

Marco Sandrini et al. Trends Cogn Sci. 2015 Aug.

Abstract

A vital property of the brain is its plasticity, which manifests as changes in behavioral performance. Invasive studies at the cellular level in animal models reveal time-restricted windows during which existing memories that are reactivated become susceptible to modification through reconsolidation, and evidence suggests similar effects in humans. In this review we summarize recent work utilizing noninvasive brain stimulation in humans to uncover the systems-level mechanisms underlying memory reconsolidation. This novel understanding of memory dynamics may have far-reaching clinical implications, including the potential to modulate reconsolidation in patients with memory disorders.

Keywords: TMS; episodic; memory; motor skill; noninvasive brain stimulation; tDCS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Schematic illustration of memory formation and modification through reconsolidation
Shortly after encoding, new memories are in an unstable/labile state until they are consolidated. Memory reactivation returns the consolidated memories from a stable state to an unstable state again, from which they need to be reconsolidated. During reconsolidation, noninvasive brain stimulation techniques (i.e. TMS, tDCS) can modify the unstable memories, revealing the systems-level mechanisms underlying memory reconsolidation. Thus, existing memories can be degraded, strengthened or updated by the inclusion of new information through reconsolidation. Modified from [9] with permission from Elsevier.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Neuromodulation of motor memory
(A) Measuring the effects of rTMS interference applied to M1 and synchronous with motor memory reactivation, on subsequent behavioral memory strength and resting-state fMRI. (B) M1 and sensorimotor striatum regions of interest were identified from a baseline fMRI measurement. Single subjects’ examples of time courses for M1 and sensorimotor striatum before (Post-Test) and after (Pre-Retest) interference (upper quadrants) and control stimulation (lower quadrants). Correlations depicted for each region-of-interest pair. Adapted from [23] with permission from Elsevier.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. McGaugh JL. Memory--a century of consolidation. Science. 2000;287:248–251. - PubMed
    1. Dudai Y. The restless engram: consolidations never end. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 2012;35:227–247. - PubMed
    1. Diekelmann S, Born J. The memory function of sleep. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2010;11:114–126. - PubMed
    1. Nader K, et al. Fear memories require protein synthesis in the amygdala for reconsolidation after retrieval. Nature. 2000;406:722–726. - PubMed
    1. Misanin JR, et al. Retrograde amnesia produced by electroconvulsive shock after reactivation of a consolidated memory trace. Science. 1968;160:554–555. - PubMed

Publication types