Reconsolidation
Reconsolidation
When a concept is retrieved the memory trace becomes plastic again. If the conditions are right the concept can be changed or updated, potentially being linked into new networks, or even unlinked. page
Efrat Furst references work of Jonathan Lee (profile) in Lee, J.L. (2009). Reconsolidation: maintaining memory relevance. Trends in neurosciences, 32(8), 413-420.
Reconsolidation does not necessarily take place after every reactivation of any memory. The evidence may suggest that reconsolidation occurs when the new experience is likely to update the existing one (rather then adding no new information or encoded separately). It is suggested that a mismatch between a prediction that is based on the existing knowledge and the new experience (i.e. prediction error) triggers the reconsolidation of the former. This interpretation of the evidence points to a role of reconsolidation in updating memories "to maintain their predictive and adaptive relevance".