Empirical Evidence Supporting Neural Contributions to Episodic Memory Development in Early Childhood: Implications for Childhood Amnesia

Abstract

Memories for events that happen early in life are fragile—they are forgotten more quickly than expected based on typical adult rates of forgetting. Although numerous factors contribute to this phenomenon, data show that one major source of change is the protracted development of neural structures related to memory. Recent empirical studies in early childhood reveal that the development of specific subdivisions of the hippocampus (i.e., the dentate gyrus) is related directly to variations in memory. Yet, the hippocampus is only one region within a larger network supporting memory. Data from young children have also shown that activation of cortical regions during memory tasks and the functional connectivity between the hippocampus and cortex relate to memory during this period. Taken together, these results suggest that protracted neural development of the hippocampus, cortex, and connections between these regions contribute to the fragility of memories early in life and may ultimately contribute to childhood amnesia.

Modeling longitudinal changes in hippocampal subfields and relations with memory from early- to mid-childhood

“…Although the volumetric changes observed are modest, it should be noted that this level of analysis is at the macro-level; it is likely substantial changes are occurring at the micro-level (e.g., number of cells, synapses, and connectivity; Lavenex and Banta Lavenex, 2013 ; Seress, 2001 ) facilitating the specific development observed in hippocampal subfields. Further, as children show impressive gains in their cognitive ability during the period of 4- to 6-years that have been proposed to coincide with the development of the hippocampus, it is likely that the subtle changes have great implications for additional aspects of development ( Riggins et al, 2020 ).…”

How Behavior Shapes the Brain and the Brain Shapes Behavior: Insights from Memory Development

“…Specifically, with age, children become better at reporting and retaining contextual details of life experiences (Bauer, 2007). This development is closely related to hippocampal maturation, as evidenced by age-and memory-related differences in hippocampal structure and function across development (see Ghetti and Bunge, 2012 for review; Sastre et al, 2016;Tang et al, 2018;Riggins et al, 2020). Previous studies have mainly used cross-sectional designs to assess relations between brain and memory development, which do not allow for investigating true developmental changes and may be influenced by confounding factors, such as cohort effects.…”

A meta‐analysis of the relation between hippocampal volume and memory ability in typically developing children and adolescents

“…It will also be important to assess whether associations between these subunits and memory differ by age given research suggesting that these brain–behavior relations differ throughout development such that younger children exhibit one direction of effects and older children exhibit another direction of effects (see Riggins et al, 2015; Schlichting et al, 2017 for empirical demonstrations and Riggins et al, 2020 for discussion). However, the extant literature is characterized by a small number of studies often with large age ranges that may obscure age‐specific effects only apparent at particular times in development.…”

“…Across development, this cognitive process helps children learn about the world and form memories of events (Keresztes et al, 2018; Mullally & Maguire, 2014; Shing et al, 2010). The brain plays a role in supporting memory throughout childhood and adolescence with regions like the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and posterior parietal cortex serving key roles in memory processing (Ghetti & Bunge, 2012; Ofen, 2012; Riggins et al, 2020; Shing et al, 2016). Although this larger network of brain regions is important for the development of memory abilities, work in both animal and human samples has continued to demonstrate the critical role of the hippocampus in the formation and consolidation of memories (Davachi et al, 2003; Eichenbaum, 2004; Lavenex & Banta Lavenex, 2013; Scoville & Milner, 1957).…”