Yale Study Finds One-Year-Olds Can Encode Experiences in Memory

Research challenges assumptions about infantile amnesia, suggesting the hippocampus plays a role in memory encoding earlier than previously thought.

The study, published in 'Science,' used fMRI scans to analyze hippocampal activity in children aged 4 to 25 months.
Findings show one-year-old children can encode experiences in the hippocampus, contradicting the belief that this brain region is too underdeveloped in infancy.
Experts emphasize the study focuses on short-term memory encoding and does not establish links to autobiographical memory formation.
The results suggest that infantile amnesia may stem from later brain processes rather than an underdeveloped hippocampus.
Researchers highlight the potential long-term implications of early experiences, including the importance of protecting children from trauma.