Cited by 128Memory and Neural MechanismsMemory Processes and InfluencesSleep and Wakefulness Research

Nonconscious formation and reactivation of semantic associations by way of the medial temporal lobe

Henke, Katharina, Mondadori, Christian R.A, Treyer, Valerie, Nitsch, Roger M, Buck, Alfred, Hock, Christoph·2003·Neuropsychologia

Abstract

A successful strategy to memorize unrelated items is to associate them semantically. This learning method is typical for declarative memory and depends on the medial temporal lobe (MTL). Yet, only a small fraction of perceived items emerge into conscious awareness and receive the status of representations in declarative memory. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study tackled the mnemonic fate of unrelated item pairs processed without conscious awareness. Stimuli consisted of a face and a written profession (experimental condition) or of a face (control condition) exposed very briefly between pattern masks. Although the participants were unaware of the stimuli, activity in the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex was changed in the experimental versus the control condition; perirhinal activity changes correlated with the reaction time measure of the later nonconscious retrieval. For retrieval, the previously presented faces were shown again, this time for conscious inspection. The task was to guess the professional category of each face. This task was to induce a nonconscious retrieval of previously formed face-profession associations. Remarkably, activity in the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex was enhanced when subjects were confronted with faces from the experimental versus the control condition. The degree of hippocampal and perirhinal activation changes correlated with the reaction time measure of nonconscious retrieval. Together, our findings suggest that new semantic associations can be formed and retrieved by way of the medial temporal lobe without awareness of the associations or its components at encoding or any awareness that one is remembering at retrieval.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0028-3932(03)00035-6

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84 of 84 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • There was evidence (at less conservative significance levels) of functional overlaps between dialogic inner speech and ToM in an area of right MTG.

    “Apart from right STG, there was evidence (at less conservative significance levels) of functional overlaps between dialogic inner speech and ToM in an area of right MTG that has been previously linked to retrieval of face-word associations (Henke et al., 2003) and reflection on third-person traits (Kjaer et al., 2002).”

    From The brain's conversation with itself: neural substrates of dialogic inner speech (2016) · cites this paper as Henke et al., 2003

  • Training procedural skills is not entirely detached from declarative memory mechanisms, especially at an initial stage of training.

    “However, training such skills does not proceed entirely detached from declarative memory mechanisms, especially at an initial stage of training (e.g., Refs. 198, 533, 1013Refs. 198, 533, , 1014Refs. 198, 533, , 1042)).”

    From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [533]

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Authors
Henke, K., Mondadori, C. R. A., Treyer, V., Nitsch, R. M., Buck, A., & Hock, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Zurich (CH)
  • University Hospital Zurich (CH)
Corresponding author
Henke, Katharina
Venue
Neuropsychologia
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2003-01
Volume
41
Issue
8
Pages
863-876
ISSN
0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1989493051
Cited by
128
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 10
FWCI
2.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
Keywords
semantic association, medial temporal lobe, hippocampus, perirhinal cortex, declarative memory, reaction time
MeSH terms
Adult, Association Learning, Brain Mapping, Concept Formation, Face, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory, Photic Stimulation, Reaction Time, Semantics, Temporal Lobe

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