Examining the development of memory for temporal order and the neural substrates that support it
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Margaret L. Scales (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Thanujeni Pathman
Abstract: Episodic memory—memory for events in the context of a particular time and place—is a complex construct with a protracted development. One defining and critical feature of episodic memory is memory for temporal order, or the ability to remember the order of sequences of events (e.g., X happened before Y). Memory for temporal order is largely thought to be dependent on a neural structure in the medial temporal lobe (MTL), the hippocampus. Previous work has shown continued behavioral improvements in episodic memory in general and specifically memory for temporal order across middle to late childhood (i.e. 7-11-years-old). However, the underlying factors contributing to this development are unclear. One factor may be the structural changes in subregions along the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus that also occur during middle to late childhood. However, these behavioral and neural changes have yet to be linked during development. The present study examined, in a group of children (7-11-year-olds) and young adults, age-related differences in performance on a memory for temporal order task, age-related difference in volume along the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus using structural MRI, and the relation between memory performance and hippocampal volume. Age-related improvements were found in both the encoding and retrieval of temporal order. Manual parcellation of the hippocampus replicated previous work: adults had smaller hippocampal head and tail and larger body than children. While no relation between hippocampal subregions and retrieval of temporal order were found, some differential patterns for adults and children emerged for the relation between encoding of temporal order and hippocampal subregions.
Examining the development of memory for temporal order and the neural substrates that support it
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Created on 5/1/2017
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2017
- Keywords
- Episodic Memory, Hippocampal Subregions, Middle to Late Childhood, Temporal Order, Young Adults
- Subjects
- Episodic memory
- Memory in children
- Hippocampus (Brain)