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Interference effects between memory systems in the acquisition of a skill

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Abstract

There is now converging evidence that the declarative memory system (hippocampus dependent) contributes to sequential motor learning in concert with the procedural memory system (striatum dependent). Because of the competition for shared neuronal resources, introducing a declarative memory task can impair learning of a new motor sequence and interference may occur during the procedural consolidation process. Here, we investigated the extent to which interference effects between memory systems are seen at the retrieval phase of skill learning. Healthy participants were assigned to a control (n = 15) or a declarative condition (n = 15) and trained on a sequence of finger movements (FOS task). Both groups showed similar improvement at the end of the practice session on the first day. Twenty-four hours later, controls were tested solely on the FOS task, while subjects in the declarative condition first engaged in a visuospatial task. Additional offline gains in performance were observed only in the control condition. The introduction of a visuospatial memory task just before retrieval of the motor skill was sufficient to eliminate these gains. This suggests that interference between procedural and declarative memory systems may also occur during subsequent motor recall. It is proposed that the interference effects are linked, in part, to the spatial nature of the motor and declarative tasks, which specifically depends upon hippocampal involvement.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Jean Bégin for his help with the statistical analyses. This study was funded by a grant from FQRNT (Québec).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Marie-Hélène Gagné & Henri Cohen

  2. Cognitive Science Institute of UQAM, Montreal, Canada

    Marie-Hélène Gagné & Henri Cohen

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  1. Marie-Hélène Gagné
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  2. Henri Cohen
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Correspondence to Henri Cohen.

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Gagné, MH., Cohen, H. Interference effects between memory systems in the acquisition of a skill. Exp Brain Res 234, 2883–2891 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-016-4690-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-016-4690-9

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