Journal of Experimental Neuroscience

Katherine G. Akers¹ and Paul W. Frankland^1-3

¹Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. ²Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. ³Institue of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Abstract

In humans, hippocampal damage typically produces temporally graded retrograde amnesia, with relative sparing of remote memories compared to recent memories. This observation led to the idea that as memories age, they are reorganized in a time-dependent manner. Here, we evaluate evidence for time-dependent memory reorganization in animal models. We conclude that, although hippocampal lesions may not always produce temporal gradients under all conditions, studies using alternate experimental approaches consistently support the idea that memories reorganize over time—becoming less dependent on the hippocampus and more dependent on a cortical network. We further speculate on the processes that drive memory reorganization such as sleep, memory reactivation, synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis.