Familiarization, Attention, and Recognition Memory in Infancy: An Event-Related Potential and Cortical Source Localization Study.

TLDR

This study examined how familiarization and attention influence event‑related potential markers of recognition memory in infants. Infants aged 4.5–7.5 months were either familiarized with two stimuli or not, then exposed to a Sesame Street recording to manipulate attention while being presented with familiar and novel stimuli, and their EEG was analyzed with spatial ICA and equivalent‑current‑dipole modeling to localize ERP sources. The Nc component was larger for novel than familiar stimuli only in the familiarization group, and its cortical source was localized to prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of familiarization and attention on event-related potential (ERP) correlates of recognition memory in infants. Infants 4.5, 6, or 7.5 months of age were either familiarized with 2 stimuli that were used during later testing or presented 2 stimuli that were not used later. Then, infants were presented with a recording of Sesame Street to elicit attention or inattention and presented with familiar and novel stimuli. A negative ERP component over the frontal and central electrodes (Nc) was larger in the preexposure familiarization group for novel- than for familiar-stimulus presentations, whereas the Nc did not differ for the group not receiving a familiarization exposure. Spatial independent components analysis of the electroencephelogram and "equivalent current dipole" analysis were used to examine putative cortical sources of the ERP components. The cortical source of Nc was located in areas of prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex.