Bridger and Caleb discuss Ecker’s 2015 article on the misunderstanding around memory reconsolidation.

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Season 2 Articles

Extinction

  • Reprioritization
  • Instead of drinking when stressed, you learn to go running.
  • “Extinction” pays homage to the history of memory reprocessing

Erasure

  • When a memory network becomes deconsolidation and reconsolidated with a new emotional learning
  • In other words, implicit emotional learning was erased and replaced with new emotional learning.

Examples

  • Explanation of RIGS (12:08)
  • The difficulty of treating depression (18:29)
  • Memory networks & attachment theory (21:03)
  • Memory reconsolidation is an emergent process (25:32)
  • Bridger doesn’t get hangry example (36:39)
  • Bridger’s summary of the episode (01:03:59)

Memory Reconsolidation Misconception

The reconsolidation process is triggered by the reactivation of a target learning or memory

  • This would mean that every time you revisited a memory, it would change.
  • In other words, every time you thought about the process of driving, it would change.
  • Thankfully, you can retrieve all day long, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to change anything.
  • For reconsolidation to occur, it’s necessary to have a mismatched experience or prediction error 

Memory Reconsolidation Misconception 2

The disruption of reconsolidation is what erases a target learning

  • This assumes the reconsolidation process is to blame for emotional target learning
  • In other words, if you just disrupt that, you’ll change the emotional target learning.
  • But that doesn’t make sense.
  • Remember, memory reconsolidation isn’t the thing we’re disrupting.
  • Rather, it’s what happens when a deconsolidated emotional learning has a new mismatch experience with new stimuli paired with it.

Memory Reconsolidation Misconception 3

Erasure is brought about during the reconsolidation window by a process of extinction. Reconsolidation is an enhancement of extinction

  • In other words, you’re prioritizing a whole other behavioral sequence.
  • That is different from reconsolidation.
  • Again, erasure and extinction aren’t  connected.

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Credits 

Executive Directors of Beyond Healing: Jennifer and Ryan Savage, Melissa Bentinnedi, Bridger Falkenstein

Hosts: Caleb Boston, Bridger Falkenstein, and Melissa Benintendi

Filmographer: Tyler Wassam

Podcast Producer: Jamie Eggert

Original Music Composers: Bridger Falkenstein and Caleb Boston