Influence of reward motivation on human declarative memory

Abstract

a b s t r a c tMotivational relevance can prioritize information for memory encoding and consolidation based on reward value. In this review, we pinpoint the possible psychological and neural mechanisms by which reward promotes learning, from guiding attention to enhancing memory consolidation. We then discuss how reward value can spill-over from one conditioned stimulus to a non-conditioned stimulus. Such generalization can occur across perceptually similar items or through more complex relations, such as associative or logical inferences. Existing evidence suggests that the neurotransmitter dopamine boosts the formation of declarative memory for rewarded information and may also control the generalization of reward values. In particular, temporally-correlated activity in the hippocampus and in regions of the dopaminergic circuit may mediate value-based decisions and facilitate cross-item integration. Given the importance of generalization in learning, our review points to the need to study not only how reward affects later memory but how learned reward values may generalize to related representations and ultimately alter memory structure.

The Serotonin Receptor 6 Antagonist Idalopirdine and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Donepezil Have Synergistic Effects on Brain Activity—A Functional MRI Study in the Awake Rat

“…These observations suggest an important role for the extended-amygdala system in the combined effects of idalopirdine and donepezil. Indeed, there is ample evidence that reward and emotional arousal, in which the amygdala plays a central role, contribute to both memory encoding and consolidation (McGaugh et al, 1996; Phelps and Anderson, 1997; Miendlarzewska et al, 2016). The amygdala also plays an important role in the regulation of anxiety and fear.…”

Predicting the past, remembering the future

“…It can be shown that the long-run average reward is a reward-weighted version of the rank (and hence need probability) returned by the PageRank algorithm, revealing a deep and surprising formal connection between reinforcement learning, information retrieval, and the rational analysis of memory. It suggests a way in which reward associations can reweight need probabilities, in accordance with well-known motivational influences on memory [23, 24, 25]. …”

Reward, learning and games

“…We hope our article outlines the current uncertainties in developing a "bridge" between neuroscience and education in this area, and may provide a useful prompt for future investigations. (For an excellent review of how reward motivation influences memory, with an emphasis on declarative memory, the reader is directed to Miendlarzewska, Bavelier and Schwarz [10]. )…”