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Dissociable stages of human memory consolidation and reconsolidation

Author

Listed:
  • Matthew P. Walker

    (Harvard Medical School)

  • Tiffany Brakefield

    (Harvard Medical School)

  • J. Allan Hobson

    (Harvard Medical School)

  • Robert Stickgold

    (Harvard Medical School)

Abstract

Historically, the term ‘memory consolidation’ refers to a process whereby a memory becomes increasingly resistant to interference from competing or disrupting factors with the continued passage of time1. Recent findings regarding the learning of skilled sensory and motor tasks (‘procedural learning’) have refined this definition, suggesting that consolidation can be more strictly determined by time spent in specific brain states such as wake, sleep or certain stages of sleep2,3,4,5,6,7,8. There is also renewed interest9 in the possibility that recalling or ‘reactivating’ a previously consolidated memory renders it once again fragile and susceptible to interference10,11,12, therefore requiring periods of reconsolidation13,14,15. Using a motor skill finger-tapping task, here we provide evidence for at least three different stages of human motor memory processing after initial acquisition. We describe the unique contributions of wake and sleep in the development of different forms of consolidation, and show that waking reactivation can turn a previously consolidated memory back into a labile state requiring subsequent reconsolidation.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew P. Walker & Tiffany Brakefield & J. Allan Hobson & Robert Stickgold, 2003. "Dissociable stages of human memory consolidation and reconsolidation," Nature, Nature, vol. 425(6958), pages 616-620, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:425:y:2003:i:6958:d:10.1038_nature01930
    DOI: 10.1038/nature01930
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Johannes Holz & Hannah Piosczyk & Nina Landmann & Bernd Feige & Kai Spiegelhalder & Dieter Riemann & Christoph Nissen & Ulrich Voderholzer, 2012. "The Timing of Learning before Night-Time Sleep Differentially Affects Declarative and Procedural Long-Term Memory Consolidation in Adolescents," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(7), pages 1-10, July.
    2. Kristoffer C Aberg & Michael H Herzog, 2010. "Does Perceptual Learning Suffer from Retrograde Interference?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(12), pages 1-6, December.
    3. Ella Gabitov & Arnaud Boutin & Basile Pinsard & Nitzan Censor & Stuart M Fogel & Geneviève Albouy & Bradley R King & Julie Carrier & Leonardo G Cohen & Avi Karni & Julien Doyon, 2019. "Susceptibility of consolidated procedural memory to interference is independent of its active task-based retrieval," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-19, January.
    4. Bhavin R Sheth & Davit Janvelyan & Murtuza Khan, 2008. "Practice Makes Imperfect: Restorative Effects of Sleep on Motor Learning," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(9), pages 1-9, September.
    5. Tamir Eisenstein & Edna Furman-Haran & Assaf Tal, 2024. "Early excitatory-inhibitory cortical modifications following skill learning are associated with motor memory consolidation and plasticity overnight," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    6. Sho K Sugawara & Satoshi Tanaka & Shuntaro Okazaki & Katsumi Watanabe & Norihiro Sadato, 2012. "Social Rewards Enhance Offline Improvements in Motor Skill," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(11), pages 1-6, November.
    7. Roberta Patalano, 2007. "Mind-Dependence. The Past in the Grip of the Present," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 85-107, August.
    8. Rany Abend & Avi Karni & Avi Sadeh & Nathan A Fox & Daniel S Pine & Yair Bar-Haim, 2013. "Learning to Attend to Threat Accelerates and Enhances Memory Consolidation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(4), pages 1-9, April.
    9. Roberta Patalano, 2007. "Mind-dependence. The past in the grip of the present," Discussion Papers 1_2007, D.E.S. (Department of Economic Studies), University of Naples "Parthenope", Italy.
    10. Denis Ertelt & Karsten Witt & Kathrin Reetz & Wolfgang Frank & Klaus Junghanns & Jutta Backhaus & Vera Tadic & Antonello Pellicano & Jan Born & Ferdinand Binkofski, 2012. "Skill Memory Escaping from Distraction by Sleep—Evidence from Dual-Task Performance," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(12), pages 1-9, December.
    11. Megan E. Speer & Sandra Ibrahim & Daniela Schiller & Mauricio R. Delgado, 2021. "Finding positive meaning in memories of negative events adaptively updates memory," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    12. Benedikt Lauber & Jesper Lundbye-Jensen & Martin Keller & Albert Gollhofer & Wolfgang Taube & Christian Leukel, 2013. "Cross-Limb Interference during Motor Learning," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-8, December.
    13. P G Taylor Miller & M Sinclair & P Gillen & J E M McCullough & P W Miller & D P Farrell & P F Slater & E Shapiro & P Klaus, 2021. "Early psychological interventions for prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic stress symptoms in post-partum women: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-25, November.

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