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. 2019 Nov;29(11):1091-1100.
doi: 10.1002/hipo.23101. Epub 2019 Jun 3.

The hippocampus is necessary for the consolidation of a task that does not require the hippocampus for initial learning

Anna C Schapiro  1   2   3 , Allison G Reid  4 , Alexandra Morgan  1 , Dara S Manoach  2   5   6 , Mieke Verfaellie  4   7 , Robert Stickgold  1   2
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Free PMC article

The hippocampus is necessary for the consolidation of a task that does not require the hippocampus for initial learning

Anna C Schapiro et al. Hippocampus. 2019 Nov.
Free PMC article

Abstract

During sleep, the hippocampus plays an active role in consolidating memories that depend on it for initial encoding. There are hints in the literature that the hippocampus may have a broader influence, contributing to the consolidation of memories that may not initially require the area. We tested this possibility by evaluating learning and consolidation of the motor sequence task (MST) in hippocampal amnesics and demographically matched control participants. While the groups showed similar initial learning, only controls exhibited evidence of overnight consolidation. These results demonstrate that the hippocampus can be required for normal consolidation of a task without being required for its acquisition, suggesting that the area plays a broader role in coordinating memory consolidation than has previously been assumed.

Keywords: amnesics; memory; motor sequence learning; offline consolidation; sleep.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Coronal and axial T1-weighted magnetic resonance images depict lesions for patients P01, P02, and P04 (no scans were available for P03). The left side of the brain is displayed on the right side of the image.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Performance across training and test for controls and amnesic patients. (a) Curves fit to average performance are power functions for training and exponential functions for test. Dashed red line set at average performance across last three trials of Training, which was the same for controls and patients (16.3 sequences correct). Correct sequences across trials of training and test (b) for individual patients and (c) for individual control participants, after removing outlier trials. Patient curves are averaged across the two sequences that each patient completed. Dashed lines connect across removed outlier trials that occurred in the middle of training or test. Each patient is plotted with a unique marker: P01 is green “x”; P02 is orange diamond; P03 is pink plus; P04 is blue triangle.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Percent change in performance from training to test. Individual controls are plotted as gray circles. Asterisk above horizontal line denotes significant difference between groups; asterisk without line indicates where condition differs from zero. Error bars denote ± 1 SEM. * p<0.05, t-test.
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