My research interests are focused on molecular mechanisms of memory formation during infancy. I’m very interested in exploring how experiences during infancy results in hippocampal long-lasting changes, which influence adult behavior.
Traumatic early life experiences can predispose individuals to psychopathologies, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder, addiction, depression and anxiety1-4. Paradoxically, episodic memories formed during infancy are apparently forgotten, a phenomenon known as infantile amnesia5-7. Infantile amnesia is conserved throughout evolution, as it has been described in humans as well as in rodents7-10.
This raises the question of how early memories can influence adult life if they cannot actually be remembered.
Using the contextual fear-based task inhibitory avoidance (IA) in infant rats, our recently published results11 show that: i) memories formed during infancy are not forgotten, instead are stored in a latent form that can re-emerge after specific reminders, ii) the infant, immature hippocampus is involved in the acquisition of the latent memory, and iii) the infant hippocampus matures through experience using …show more content…
Early life experiences are not lost, shape the brain and have long-lasting influence on adult behavior, as well as might predispose to disorders or psychopathologies. In contrast to what previously proposed, our data suggest that the hippocampus and the hippocampal learning system are not deficient in early development, but instead highly responsive to early experiences31. Infantile learning is critical for shaping learning, memory and cognitive functions of adulthood. This view of the ontogeny of the hippocampus-dependent learning system has many important implications for family environment, education and possible area of interventions to prevent
Traumatic early life experiences can predispose individuals to psychopathologies, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder, addiction, depression and anxiety1-4. Paradoxically, episodic memories formed during infancy are apparently forgotten, a phenomenon known as infantile amnesia5-7. Infantile amnesia is conserved throughout evolution, as it has been described in humans as well as in rodents7-10.
This raises the question of how early memories can influence adult life if they cannot actually be remembered.
Using the contextual fear-based task inhibitory avoidance (IA) in infant rats, our recently published results11 show that: i) memories formed during infancy are not forgotten, instead are stored in a latent form that can re-emerge after specific reminders, ii) the infant, immature hippocampus is involved in the acquisition of the latent memory, and iii) the infant hippocampus matures through experience using …show more content…
Early life experiences are not lost, shape the brain and have long-lasting influence on adult behavior, as well as might predispose to disorders or psychopathologies. In contrast to what previously proposed, our data suggest that the hippocampus and the hippocampal learning system are not deficient in early development, but instead highly responsive to early experiences31. Infantile learning is critical for shaping learning, memory and cognitive functions of adulthood. This view of the ontogeny of the hippocampus-dependent learning system has many important implications for family environment, education and possible area of interventions to prevent