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Wayne State University

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Media Report

July 19, 2012

CBS Detroit reports Wayne State, MIT team up for memory study of children, adults

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/07/18/wayne-state-mit-team-up-for-memory-study-of-children-adults/

Neuroscientists from Wayne State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are taking a deeper look into how the brain mechanisms for memory retrieval differ between adults and children. While the memory systems are the same in many ways, the researchers have learned that crucial functions with relevance to learning and education differ. The team’s findings were published on July 17, 2012, in the Journal of Neuroscience. According to lead author Noa Ofen, assistant professor in WSU’s Institute of Gerontology and Department of Pediatrics, cognitive ability, including the ability to learn and remember new information, dramatically changes between childhood and adulthood. This ability parallels with dramatic changes that occur in the structure and function of the brain during these periods. “Our results suggest that cortical regions related to attentional or strategic control show the greatest developmental changes for memory retrieval,” said Ofen. Ofen and her research team plan to continue research in this area, focused on modeling brain network connectivity, and applying these methods to study abnormal brain development.

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