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Cited by 109Memory and Neural MechanismsMotor Control and AdaptationMemory Processes and Influences

Reduced Susceptibility to Interference in the Consolidation of Motor Memory before Adolescence

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Dorfberger, Shoshi, Adi-Japha, Esther, Karni, Avi·2007·PLoS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0000240PMC PMC1800346
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Abstract

Are children superior to adults in consolidating procedural memory? This notion has been tied to "critical," early life periods of increased brain plasticity. Here, using a motor sequence learning task, we show, in experiment 1, that a) the rate of learning during a training session, b) the gains accrued, without additional practice, within a 24 hours post-training interval (delayed consolidation gains), and c) the long-term retention of these gains, were as effective in 9, 12 and 17-year-olds and comparable to those reported for adults. However, a follow-up experiment showed that the establishment of a memory trace for the trained sequence of movements was significantly more susceptible to interference by a subsequent motor learning experience (practicing a reversed movement sequence) in the 17-year-olds compared to the 9 and 12-year-olds. Unlike the 17-year-olds, the younger age-groups showed significant delayed gains even after interference training. Altogether, our results indicate the existence of an effective consolidation phase in motor learning both before and after adolescence, with no childhood advantage in the learning or retention of a motor skill. However, the ability to co-consolidate different, successive motor experiences, demonstrated in both the 9 and 12-year-olds, diminishes after puberty, suggesting that a more selective memory consolidation process takes over from the childhood one. Only the adult consolidation process is gated by a recency effect, and in situations of multiple, clashing, experiences occurring within a short time-interval, adults may less effectively establish in memory experiences superseded by newer ones.

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  • In the respective studies, sleep-dependent overnight gains in skill were measured with reference to performance before sleep rather than across a corresponding wake interval, which excludes that the absent gain across sleep in children is due to greater wake stabilization.

    “In the respective studies, the sleep-dependent overnight gains in skill were measured with reference to performance before sleep rather than with reference to performance changes across a corresponding wake interval, which excludes that the absent gain of skill across sleep in children is due to a relatively greater capability in children to stabilize memories during wakefulness (318).”

    From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [318]

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  • In children, skill performance is generally much slower, less accurate, and less automated than in adults, particularly in the initial stage of training.

    “In children, skill performance is generally much slower, less accurate, and less automated than in adults, particularly in the initial stage of training (318, 385, 1185), which gives rise to the question of whether sleep enhances skill memories also in children if presleep performance is improved to a level comparable with that in adults.”

    From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [318]

    The Results (page not provided) report that initial speed and accuracy on the finger-to-thumb sequence task increased with age, supporting slower and less accurate initial performance in the younger groups. The study compared 9-, 12-, and 17-year-olds, not children directly with adults, and the cited passages do not assess automation or establish a general pattern across skills. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [26]Stelmach GE 1996 Motor learning: Toward understanding acquired representation. In Acquisition of motor behavior in Vertebrates Bloedel J, Ebner T & Wise SP Eds. (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA) 392 407

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Authors
Dorfberger, S., Adi-Japha, E., & Karni, A.
Affiliations
University of Haifa (IL)
ORCID
Venue
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2007-02-28
Volume
2
Issue
2
Pages
e240
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0000240
PMC
PMC1800346
OpenAlex
W2022592098
Cited by
109
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 12
FWCI
2.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Keywords
motor memory consolidation, procedural memory, motor sequence learning, adolescence, age differences, interference, recency effect, memory traces, neuroplasticity, puberty, long-term retention, children versus adults
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Psychology, Adolescent, Child, Psychology, Child, Female, Humans, Learning, Male, Memory, Motor Activity, Neuronal Plasticity, Psychomotor Performance, Retention, Psychology

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