Abstract
Episodic memory – the ability to encode, maintain and retrieve information – is critical for everyday functioning at all ages, yet little is known about the development of episodic memory systems and their brain substrates. In this talk, I will present data from a series of studies with which we investigate how functional brain development underlies the development of memory for visual scenes throughout childhood and adolescence. Using functional neuroimaging methods, including functional MRI and intracranial EEG, we identified age differences in information flow between the medial temporal lobes and the prefrontal cortex that support the formation of memory for scenes. Critically we also identified activity in visual regions including the occipital cortex that plays a critical role in memory formation and shows complex patterns of age differences. The investigation of the neural basis of memory development has been fueled by recent advances in neuroimaging methodologies. Progress towards a mechanistic understanding of memory development hinges on the specification of the representations and functional operations that underlie the behavioral phenomena we wish to explain. Leveraging the rich understanding of visual representations offers a unique opportunity to make significant progress to that end.