The Role of Visual Association Cortex in Associative Memory Formation across Development

Abstract

Associative learning underlies the formation of new episodic memories. Associative memory improves across development, and this age-related improvement is supported by the development of the hippocampus and pFC. Recent work, however, additionally suggests a role for visual association cortex in the formation of associative memories. This study investigated the role of category-preferential visual processing regions in associative memory across development using a paired associate learning task in a sample of 56 youths (age 6–19 years). Participants were asked to bind an emotional face with an object while undergoing fMRI scanning. Outside the scanner, participants completed a memory test. We first investigated age-related changes in neural recruitment and found linear age-related increases in activation in lateral occipital cortex and fusiform gyrus, which are involved in visual processing of objects and faces, respectively. Furthermore, greater activation in these visual processing regions was associated with better subsequent memory for pairs over and above the effect of age and of hippocampal and pFC activation on performance. Recruitment of these visual processing regions mediated the association between age and memory performance, over and above the effects of hippocampal activation. Taken together, these findings extend the existing literature to suggest that greater recruitment of category-preferential visual processing regions during encoding of associative memories is a neural mechanism explaining improved memory across development.

Searching basic units in memory traces: associative memory cells

“…Secondary associative memory cells in visual association cortices mainly receive convergent synapse innervations from active primary associative memory cells with major synapse innervations and active synapses converted from silent ones, such that major features in images are the integrative storage and subsequent retrieval. Our suggestions are supported by a recent report that visual association areas are recruited during memory formation 207 . In subsequent associative learning, based on the reorganization of unitary signals in various new images, the portion of associative memory cells reactivated by those reorganized unitary signals will be integrated together through the conversion of inactive/silent synapses into active synapses among them to fulfill the integrative storage of new associated signals 180 .…”

Partial withdrawal of levothyroxine treated disease leads to brain activations and effects on performance in a working memory task: A pilot study

“…The cuneus is known to be involved in basic visual processing, modulated by extra‐retinal effects such as attention, working memory and reward expectation . Interestingly, children with early treated congenital hypothyroidism are known to suffer from difficulties in visuospatial memory tasks, which may result in changes in visual processing because of effects mediated by the cuneus.…”

The role of the visual association cortex in scaffolding prefrontal cortex development: A novel mechanism linking socioeconomic status and executive function

“…First, accumulating evidence suggests that functional changes in the ventral visual stream across development play an important role in the development of higher order cognitive function among children. Specifically, activation in ventral visual stream regions (e.g., fusiform gyrus in response to faces; lateral occipital cortex in response to objects) during stimulus encoding and maintenance contributes to improvements in working memory across age (Chai et al, 2010; Rosen et al, 2017; Wendelken et al, 2011). Activation in parahippocampal gyrus and fusiform gyrus during working memory for scenes and faces, respectively, increases with age and is positively associated with both working memory and long-term memory performance (Chai et al, 2010; Rosen et al, 2017, 2018; Wendelken et al, 2011; Fandakova et al, 2019).…”