Data_Sheet_1_Improving memory for unusual events with wakeful reactivation.docx

Memory consists of multiple processes, from encoding information, consolidating it into short- and long- term memory, and later retrieving relevant information. Targeted memory reactivation is an experimental method during which sensory components of a multisensory representation (such as sounds or odors) are ‘reactivated’, facilitating the later retrieval of unisensory attributes. We examined whether novel and unpredicted events benefit from reactivation to a greater degree than normal stimuli. We presented participants with everyday objects, and ‘tagged’ these objects with sounds (e.g., animals and their matching sounds) at different screen locations. ‘Oddballs’ were created by presenting unusual objects and sounds (e.g., a unicorn with a heartbeat sound). During a short reactivation phase, participants listened to a replay of normal and oddball sounds. Participants were then tested on their memory for visual and spatial information in the absence of sounds. Participants were better at remembering the oddball objects compared to normal ones. Importantly, participants were also better at recalling the locations of oddball objects whose sounds were reactivated, compared to objects whose sounds that were not presented again. These results suggest that episodic memory benefits from associating objects with unusual cues, and that reactivating those cues strengthen the entire multisensory representation, resulting in enhanced memory for unisensory attributes.

记忆由多个过程组成，包括信息的编码、将其巩固为短期和长期记忆，以及随后检索相关信息。目标记忆再激活是一种实验方法，在此过程中，多感官表征（如声音或气味）的感觉成分被‘再激活’，从而促进了随后对单感官属性的检索。本研究旨在探讨新颖且不可预测的事件是否比常规刺激更能从再激活中获益。我们向参与者展示了日常物品，并在不同的屏幕位置上对这些物品‘标记’上声音（例如，动物及其匹配的声音）。通过展示不寻常的物品和声音（例如，带有心跳声的独角兽）来创建‘异常情况’。在短暂的再激活阶段，参与者聆听了正常和异常声音的回放。随后，在无声音的情况下对参与者的视觉和空间信息记忆进行了测试。结果显示，参与者在记忆异常物品方面优于正常物品。值得注意的是，参与者在回忆带有再激活声音的异常物品位置方面也优于那些声音未再次呈现的物品。这些结果暗示，情景记忆通过将物体与不寻常的线索相联系而受益，并且对这些线索的再激活强化了整个多感官表征，从而增强了单感官属性的记忆。