Learning improves if an experience is distributed over time rather than concentrated in one go. That is true in education, advertising, and many other elements of everyday life.

A research team of Sapienza University of Rome has revealed, for the first time, that the greater efficiency of learning spread over time depends on the fact that the brain uses different brain circuits depending on the learning mode, regardless of what is to be learned. Furthermore, the researchers showed that artificial stimulation of the circuits responsible for time-distributed learning improves memory.

In particular, the study published in the journal PNAS showed that the striatum, a brain structure thought to be mainly involved in motor functions (e.g. Parkinson's), also plays a role in complex cognitive functions. "Moreover," says Andrea Mele, corresponding author, "we have seen that its exogenous stimulation during learning improves memory duration in mice."

The study is significant both from a theoretical point of view because it includes among the areas of the brain responsible for remembering, regions that were previously attributed other functions, and from a translational point of view because it suggests the possibility of improving memory through artificial stimulation of this brain regions, opening up new perspectives in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

References:

The neural substrate of spatial memory stabilization depends on the distribution of the training sessions - Valentina Mastrorilli, Eleonora Centofante, Federica, Arianna Rinaldi and Andrea Mele - PNAS 2022 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2120717119

Further Information

Andrea Mele
Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin"
andrea.mele@uniroma1.it