Presentation description

Previous research indicates that declarative and procedural memory processes are not separate but share common networks and processes. Utilizing interactions between two memory systems offers an intriguing avenue to enhance the consolidation process. In this study, we tested whether a common learning structure promoting higher order associations between memories from different domains, can enhance the consolidation of newly created memories. |To do so, we developed a new serial reaction time task (SRTT) using pictures of objects to create visual cues to trigger motor responses, allowing us to investigate both procedural and declarative memory domains. Notably, the task was designed such that there will be - or not - associations between fingers and object categories. In the associated version of the task, each finger will be associated to a specific object category, while there will be no such finger-object association in the unassociated version. This pilot study includes two groups of young, healthy adults that were assigned to either the associated or unassociated groups described above. All participants will learn the motor and object sequences 4 hours apart on experimental day 1 and consolidation will be assessed through an overnight retest on both tasks. |We hypothesize that participants in the associated group will show greater learning and consolidation (measured through performance speed and accuracy), than participants in the unassociated group. The findings of this study will provide the foundation for future research that will examine the specific neural mechanisms underlying interactions between memory domains. It also has the potential to unravel how shared processes across memory domains can be leveraged to enhance memory consolidation, which has important clinical implications. |