Are You Aware How Well You Remember? Metamemory Retrospection Has Been Evaluated in Macaque Monkeys

Knowing how confidently we know something is called metamemory. This is a metacognitive self-monitoring and evaluation of our memory states that enables an efficient collection of information based on our past experiences. Engaging in this introspective process makes us feel retrospective.

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The brain structures and neural mechanisms for metamemory are unknown, but a new study published in Science on Jan. 13th has now revealed the neural substrates of metamemory for retrospection in macaque monkeys.

Metamemory processing requires higher-level self reflection about our own cognition. This was previously thought to be unique to humans alone due to a lack of scientifically precise data. Now there is harder data to suggest otherwise.

A test was devised by Kentaro Miyamoto and colleagues, in which macaque monkeys judged their own confidence in remembering past experiences. Using functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to do whole brain searches, researchers discovered that the reversible inactivation of 2 prefrontal areas (9 and 6) with a GABAa receptor agonist (muscimol), induced an inability to select and judge recent or remote memory, although recognition was not impaired.

Metamemory was impaired, but not memory itself.

Metamemory recalls and reconstructs past experiences into mental representations in the now, and requires more self-reflection and introspection than perceptual metacognition.

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Monkeys were placed in an fMRI machine and performed a metamemory task where they were required to choose if a picture was recognized and is "old" to them, or not previously seen and is "new" to them. This was represented as a yes/no visual memory recognition test. Monkeys had to make self-confidence judgments regarding their own memory that they could retrieve using a "postdecision wagering paradigm".

The brain activity between high bet and low bet trials in memory retrieval, were compared to identify cortical areas involving metamemory processing.

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Metamemory is something difficult to evaluate. This study paves the way for further research into the neuronal underpinnings of metacognition and memory.

The study itself is mostly technical data for the numbers, so I don't have much to add apart from the general information about the study.

I did a post previously on how the macaque has the vocal anatomy to speak like humans, but not the brains. The macaque was used again in this recent study because it's one of few animals to have demonstrated meta-cognition abilities.

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References:

• Causal neural network of metamemory for retrospection in primates
• Macaques, like humans, know how well they can recall memories

Previous post on macaque study:

• Monkeys Have the Vocal Anatomy to Speak Like Humans, but Not the Brains - Listen to What They Might Sound Like

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@krnel
2017-01-17, 7:50pm