Ebbinghaus Empire Meeting – Wednesday, February 5- Deepu Murty– Temple University

Consolidation supports adaptive memory for goal-relevant events

Memories are not veridical, but rather are tailored to reflect our internal goal states. Individuals have better memory for goal-relevant information, and these memory enhancements become more pronounced over delays. Given the role of mesolimbic systems in goal-relevant learning and cellular consolidation, these memory enhancements have been interpreted as resulting from enhanced plasticity within the hippocampus. Here, I will present neuroimaging studies suggesting that active, systems-wide consolidation processes support memory for goal-relevant events. Further, I will show that consolidation in this context reflect the active transformation of goal-relevant events rather than strengthening veridical representations. Together, these findings support a model by which interactions across the hippocampus, dopaminergic midbrain, and sensory cortex transforms memory representations over time in services of future adaptive behavior.