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Anatomical Education, Memory Consolidation and the Testing Effect
Author(s) -
Easteal Ron Albert,
Biddell Jason
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.785.18
Subject(s) - consolidation (business) , memory consolidation , recall , neocortex , cognition , hippocampal formation , neuroscience , presentation (obstetrics) , psychology , hippocampus , medicine , cognitive psychology , surgery , accounting , business
As educators, anatomists must attempt to instill relevant Anatomical structures to the long‐term memory (LTM) of medical and professional students. Cognitive research tells us retrieval practice (RP) is twice as effective in accumulating LTM when compared to studying alone. RP is the recall of previously tested material by self or group testing. The increase in LTM is called the ‘testing effect’ (TE). RP is most effective when practiced a day or two after initial presentation, and repeated after intervals of a week or so. While cognitive science examines the efficacy of RP, it fails to explain a neurological rationale for those counter‐intuitive events. There is recent neuroanatomical evidence that correlates the time‐delay of acquisition with transfer of memory between the hippocampus (HPC) and the Neo‐Cortex (NC). Anatomical educators and their students will be more confident in using this powerful learning tool if they understand the correlation between RP and LTM. RP is sequenced through a series of retrieval practices following initial study/presentation (study‐RP‐RP‐RP etc.). The first interval may be a day or so, while the succeeding intervals may be evenly spaced or expanded throughout the course. Memory has 4 stages: 1. Sensory memory; 2; Working memory (WM) 3; Hippocampal consolidation (HC); and 4; LTM in the neocortex. Stages 1 and 2 last around 20 seconds. HPC consolidation and its transfer to the NC can take from 1 day to 1 month, showing that this is a direct link to RP expanding over time. HC consolidation incorporates both synaptic consolidation, and systems consolidation. Synaptic Consolidation is the strengthening and replication of synapses in the HPC and NC, making memory more robust. This process is called long‐term potentiation (LTP). Synaptic consolidation fades over time as system consolidation (SC) takes over. SC transfers representations from the HPC to the NC, thus strengthening inter‐cortical ‘crosstalk’ and stabilizing LTM. One major contributor to SC is adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the HPC. Development and maturation of these new cells take place during 4 weeks, providing LTM connections to the neocortex. Another major potentiator of LTM is sleep following subject presentation. Thus, LTM facilitation is potentiated from day 2 to 1 month after presentation. R.P (as opposed to studying), acts by reactivating the cortex and bringing the representations back to the WM. The WM reactivates consolidation, ultimately reinforcing memory in the neo‐cortex. Support or Funding Information N/A