Consolidating new schema and specific memories: Developmental patterns, effects of early life stress, and enhancement by  targeted memory reactivation

ⓘ Image creditPhoto courtesy of B04 Members

Schema formation and memory specificity jointly support adaptive memory, both relying on consolidation processes that stabilize and transform representations in the brain. These transformations involve neural networks that undergo structural and functional changes across childhood and are vulnerable to environmental factors such as chronic stress. Our proposed research targets three aims. First, we will characterize the development of schema formation and memory specificity, on the behavioral and neural levels, in children and adults. Second, we will examine how early life adversity, known to impact consolidation-related neural substrates, differentially impacts schema formation and episodic memory in children. Third, we will assess the memory benefits of targeted memory reactivation for schema-relevant and schema-irrelevant information in children with and without early stress exposure, and in adults. This work will advance our understanding of developmental mechanisms underlying memory functions, and provide empirical-based insights into clinical interventions through the lens of memory consolidation.

Image Experimental logo. Courtesy of B04 members

Archiv – B04 (SFB1315/1)

Archive – B04 (SFB1315/2)

ⓘ Image creditImage courtesy of B04

Graphical abstract of the key elements (schema formation, early life stress, and targeted memory reactivation), implemented in Work Packages 1, 2, and 3 of the proposal.