Topic: neocortical memory formation

Based on recent findings showing rapid neocortical memory formation when relying on existing schema, this study investigated whether learning entirely novel concepts can also rapidly engender a neocortical engram. Two groups of 40 participants encoded the same abstract visual stimuli during functional MRI by either categorizing them based on similar features (concept learners) or forming detailed item-context associations (detail learners). At baseline, 1h & 24h after encoding, diffusion-weighted imaging data was acquired to assess learning-related microstructural plasticity. 24h after enc