A theory of this sort is presented, one that emphasizes the continuity of basic memory processes (encoding, storage, retention, and retrieval) across species and development and that capitalizes on changes in knowledge structures unique to different species, ones that may be controlled by across-species variation in the neocortical areas that modulate input and output to the hippocampal and parahippocampal regions. Freud originally coined the term on the basis of clinical interviews subsequent empirical investigations have confirmed many of Freuds original observations, but not his explanation for the phenomenon. It is argued that an adequate theory of infantile amnesia must account for the entire literature, human and nonhuman animal alike. Childhood amnesia refers to the inability of children and adults to recall events that took place during their infancy and early childhood. Following this line of reasoning, the literature on human and nonhuman animal infantile amnesia is reviewed. Many scientists have attributed this so-called 'infantile amnesia' to a lack of development in the hippocampus, an area of the brain located in the temporal lobe that is crucial to encoding memory. If one of the hallmarks of episodic memory is faster forgetting of information in immature than more mature members of the species, then it is likely that infantile amnesia may be species invariant. Because regions relevant to episodic memory (hippocampus and parahippocampal areas) have a high degree of overlap between human and nonhuman animals in their development, anatomy, and function, it is argued that episodic memory may exist across a number of species. A brief overview of the developmental neuroscience relevant to early memory development is presented first. Originally published on Live Science.The current state of knowledge concerning infantile amnesia is presented. It represents an inability of both children and adults to recall episodic memories (i.e. Many scientists have attributed this so-called infantile amnesia to a lack of development in the hippocampus, an area of the brain located in the temporal lobe that is crucial to encoding memory. In support of the idea, they've found that they could make infant mice's memories last longer by experimentally throttling down neurogenesis.įollow Joseph Castro on Twitter. This phenomenon is often called childhood or infantile amnesia. Last month in the journal Science, scientists proposed a related hypothesis: The genesis of new brain cells essentially erases memories, because the new neurons disrupt brain circuits established by the older cells. doi: 10.1073/pnas. However, other researchers have argued that language can't be the whole story, because other animals also show infantile amnesia.Īnother theory holds that memory formation is more or less normal in infants, but continual brain maturation interferes with the storage of memories. Language was thought to be vital for encoding autobiographical memories, and children's long-term memories appear to form around the time that they start speaking. Some scientists have proposed that our earliest memories remained blocked from us, because we had no language when they formed. But 2- and-3-year-olds can remember and talk about events that happened months, or even more than a year, before, according to a 2000 study published in the journal Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. But theories abound.įor a time, scientists believed that infants simply didn't have the mental capacity for declarative memories (their brains are "immature"). Though scientists have discounted Freud's 100-year-old idea on the matter, there is still no consensus about the origin of childhood amnesia.
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