Novel Methods Development for Integrating Behavioral Measures of Hippocampal-Dependent NonConscious Memory Effects

RM 218

The traditional textbook models of human memory are predicated upon the foundation that long-term declarative memory (i.e. memories recalled through conscious recollection of details) relies critically upon the integrity of the human hippocampus (a medial temporal lobe structure of the brain), whereas non-conscious or implicit memory (i.e. familiarity) does not. Exciting new findings from our laboratory have begun to question this core dogma of human memory, using electrophysiological methods (EEG) and a novel procedure we developed for capturing non-conscious memory signals in a small group of three patients with hippocampal damage (Addante, 2015, Neuroimage). This physiological effect was explored in the current study, designed to add behavioral measures that are critical to linking the physiological impairments with meaningful behavioral manifestations of memory deficits, and to measure these effects in a larger sample size or normative populations that can be then applied to clinical amnesia groups. This work largely explored new methods programmed to be implemented at a mass level adopted across multiple laboratories capable of testing rare cases of human amnesia patients. Results of this novel method development will be discussed in the context of providing the field an innovative new paradigm by which to measure both behavior and physiology concurrently for capturing non-conscious memory signals at the scalp.