Events Calendar

Psychological and Brain Sciences Colloquium

Ryan LaLumiere, Associate Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Multiple Memory Systems: Historical Tour to Current Work in the Laboratory

The nature of “memory” has been contemplated for millennia by those interested in the human mind, including ancient philosophers who suggested the existence of different aspects of memory. Over the centuries, the idea of different types of memories persisted and eventually led to early debates in the burgeoning field of psychology as to the nature of learning. In the mid-20th century, new findings provided concrete neurobiological evidence not only of multiple types of memories but also of specific and dissociable brain systems mediating them. Such work has continued to this day, leading to a rich field of research investigating multiple memory systems. In fact, these concepts have been foundational for our own ongoing studies where we have focused on how the amygdala modulates many different kinds of memories and the particular systems mediating these influences. To accomplish this, we have used a variety of behavioral procedures combined with brain-based manipulations to gain insight into the multiple components and types of memories. Our findings point to critical pathways that are dissociably involved in influencing the consolidation of different kinds of information.