Differential modulation of contextual fear conditioning by orexin receptors in the dorsal hippocampus.

Adaptive memory in contamination contexts: Exploring the role of emotionality

A cross-sectional study of olfactory stimulation on retrieval of the Who, Where and When information in Alzheimer's disease.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in learning ecologies, reshaping how subjectivity – understood as the capacity of each participant to act as an agent in learning – is distributed among learners, educators, and AI. This article advances a tri-subjective perspective and proposes a four-state model of AI participation: S0 (instrument), S1 (assisting facilitator), S2 (active co-agent), and S3 (autonomous mediator). Across these states, we operationalize five components of subjectivity – motivation, activity, reflection, adaptability, and interactivity – and describe conditions that trigger transitions in the distribution of agency. Methodologically, the work combines conceptual synthesis with two applied cases. At the micro-level, we analyse a seminar scenario in which an AI assistant surfaces parallels between two independent learner analyses, thereby mediating dialogic exchange. At the macro-level, drawing on third-party case materials, we examine how an AI “facilitator” sustains group memory and consensus across iterative cycles over time. Results indicate that movement from S0 to S2 tends to expand learner agency when AI feedback is transparent and bounded, educator mediation remains active, and contextual memory is preserved. By contrast, S3 offers powerful personalization but risks over-optimization, educator disengagement, and learner passivity if human framing is not maintained. We distil design guardrails – bounded autonomy, provenance cues, reflective prompts, and orchestration protocols – that help support human subjectivity while leveraging AI’s adaptive capabilities. The contribution is threefold: (I) a state-based vocabulary for analysing AI’s pedagogical roles; (II) a separation between conditional AI “subjectivity” and human agency; and (III) actionable implications for curriculum design and facilitation. Limitations include reliance on conceptual modelling and case-based illustration rather than controlled trials. Future work will translate the model into evaluation rubrics and conduct empirical studies in diverse instructional settings.

Alzheimer's disease has widespread effects on brain structure, function and behavior, but we lack a systematic dissection of its impact across hundreds of forebrain and brainstem regions. Here, using diffusion tensor MRI at 25 µm, we mapped the global consequences of mutations in APP and PSEN1 across 231 regions of interest (ROIs) in male and female 5×FAD BXD hybrid mice at 14 months. Over half of the ROIs change in volume along rostrocaudal and mediolateral axes of the CNS, with unexpected swelling in the neocortex, hippocampus and amygdala of up to 10%, counterbalanced by shrinkage in the thalamus, brainstem and most white matter tracts. Yet, total brain volume is unaltered. Variation in individual ROI volumes is highest in females. Differences in fear acquisition and contextual memory performance covary with volumes of several regions and can have opposite polarities between cases and controls. These structural benchmarks establish a foundation for testing therapeutic interventions in preclinical trials.

ABSTRACT The present postmodernist study explores how widely accessible films depicting tragic historical sites/events influence prosthetic memories and film-induced dark tourism among Western Balkan (the ‘region of memory’) young adult new-age platform users with no personal war experience. A heterogeneous list of ten internationally known historical films, compiled with the help of informants, was the basis for discussion in three nationally diverse focus groups (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian- Herzegovinian) and then compared with a comparison group from a less stressed environment. The results of the content analysis with triangulation are discussed, and explaining the missing prosthetic memory, factual knowledge and film-induced dark tourism nexus among young adults in a peculiarly toxic post-conflict atmosphere. The study thus identifies historical film and dark tourism abstainers and explains deviations not previously reported in studies of the above concepts, taking into account the specific social environment and age group.

This article offers a critical reflection on the relationships bet- ween law, memory, and the right to memory in the Colombian context, based on the analysis of academic narratives found in doctoral dissertations. It starts from the premise that memory is not only a field of symbolic dispute but also a right under cons- truction—particularly relevant in contexts of post-agreement and transitional justice. Methodology: A systematic documentary review was conducted of doctoral theses from three Colombian educational institutions, focusing on historical memory, memories of the recent past, and subaltern memories. The PRISMA pro- tocol guided the review, enabling rigorous criteria for inclusion, exclusion, and analysis. Findings were triangulated with the Final Report of Colombia’s Truth Commission (CEV), enhancing dia- logue between academic production and official truth. Results: The review identified tensions and openings around the right to memory, highlighting its plural, situated, and contested nature. The analyzed dissertations reveal experiences of resistance, ins- titutional silences, and pedagogical strategies for building living memories from subalternized communities. Divergences with hegemonic legal frameworks were evident, suggesting a broader and more relational understanding of law. Conclusions: Memory, far from being a closed archive, emerges as a field of political and epistemic action. The right to memory must be reconfigured from below, recognizing the other narratives that inhabit territories, schools, and bodies that resist forgetting.

This study aims to compare the clinical decision-making accuracy of different artificial intelligence (AI) models in endodontic treatment planning for patients with systemic diseases. A scenario-based, cross-sectional educational study was conducted using 40 standardized clinical scenarios representing ten commonly encountered systemic conditions affecting endodontic care. Scenarios were developed based on international endodontic and medical guidelines and reviewed by medical specialists and experienced endodontists. Four AI models, ChatGPT-5.1, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Gemini 2.5 Flash, and ChatGPT-3.5, were queried using identical, standardized prompts within fully isolated interaction environments to prevent contextual memory effects. AI-generated responses were independently evaluated by two calibrated endodontists using a predefined 10-point scoring system across four clinical domains. Clinical accuracy was categorized as high, partial, or incorrect. Nonparametric statistical analyses were performed. No statistically significant differences were observed among AI models in overall clinical decision accuracy or domain-specific scores (Friedman test, p > 0.05). Although categorical analysis revealed an overall difference in the proportion of high-accuracy responses (Cochran's Q, p = 0.007), post hoc comparisons did not demonstrate significant pairwise differences. Deviation analysis revealed comparable proximity of all models to the expert-defined optimal decisions, with greater variability observed for the Gemini 2.5 Flash. Current AI models demonstrate comparable clinical decision-making performance in endodontic scenarios involving medically compromised patients. While descriptive trends were observed, no single model consistently outperformed others. AI systems may serve as supportive decision-making tools when used under professional supervision, but should not replace clinical judgment.

NCKX4 regulates hippocampal Ca2+ homeostasis and contributes to contextual memory and anxiety-related behaviours.

Negative emotional stimuli are associated with increased recognition accuracy but decreased memory for the associative context, an effect coined as "tunnel memory" (Steinmetz & Kensinger, 2013). Recently, Stewardson et al. (2023) found that social cues enhance both recognition and associative memory and weaken the effects of negative emotion on memory, suggesting potentially distinct mechanisms underlying how adaptively relevant information is processed and retained when social cues are present. In this study (conducted in 2023-2024), we sought to replicate these findings and use eye tracking to explore attention as a mechanism underlying this divergence. As predicted, both negative images and social cues enhanced recognition memory, with differential effects on associative memory (diminishing for negative, enhancing for social). Negative pictures with few social cues were associated with a "tunneling" of both memory and attention, that is, better recognition but poorer associative memory alongside more frequent, longer fixations on the picture and reduced picture-object saccades. By contrast, social cues led to a partial tunneling of attention-that is, more frequent but shorter fixations and fewer linking saccades-and yet enhanced both picture recognition and associative memory. Perhaps most striking, negative emotion's effects on memory and attention were significantly attenuated when social cues were present. These findings suggest that differences in how negative versus neutral content is processed and retained depend on the social context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Abstract. Wiranova A, Mulyanto D, Iskandar BS. 2025. Ethnobotanical memory of Cinchona among the Sundanese in the highland of West Java, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 8: 332-346. Following the decline of Cinchona as a commodity after the discovery of synthetic malaria drugs after the World War II, its plantations in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) experienced a drastic downturn. Some were converted into upland agricultural fields producing subtropical vegetables, causing cultural ties to the species to largely diminish. Therefore, this study examines the ethnobotanical memory of Cinchona among Sundanese communities in West Java, Indonesia, within a post-plantation landscape that has undergone significant land-use transformation into upland subtropical vegetable fields. Using oral history supported by archival research, interviews were conducted with 29 residents divided into two groups: those who experienced the operational period of the plantation and those without direct exposure to it. Ethnobotanical memory is conceptualized as the dynamic interaction of emotional, sensory, and bodily recollections of plants within a community. Three categories of memory narratives were identified. The first reflects emotional memory, in which Cinchona is associated with childhood experiences and nostalgia. The second highlights bodily memory, represented by recollections of plantation production processes, from seed selection and grafting to bark harvesting and drying. The third emphasizes sensory memory, expressed through the bitter taste of decoctions once consumed for medicinal purposes. These memories reveal the intertwined relationship between biological species and cultural practices, yet intergenerational transmission has been limited, particularly among younger residents who have never encountered the species in their daily lives. The decline of Cinchona populations following land-use change has accelerated this process of forgetting. Moreover, conservation efforts remain absent due to the loss of commercial value and the community’s reliance on faster-return crops such as vegetables. The findings underscore the vulnerability of ethnobotanical memory in post-plantation contexts and highlight the need to integrate cultural perspectives into biodiversity conservation strategies.

Fear memories are essential for survival, but their inappropriate expression can contribute to anxiety disorders, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorders that can present differently between the sexes. Memory reconsolidation is a process through which previously stored memories can be modified upon reactivation. The mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathway regulates neuronal gene transcription and is involved in synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Evidence suggests possible sex differences in the neurobiological mechanisms underlying fear responses and memory processes. However, its involvement in the reconsolidation of contextual fear conditioning (CFC) memory in male and female rats remains unclear. To investigate the involvement of the MAPK/ERK pathway in the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus during CFC memory reconsolidation in male and female Wistar rats. The role of the MAPK/ERK pathway was evaluated by infusing the selective inhibitor U0126 (0.04µg/side) into the hippocampus at different time points after the reactivation session. The results demonstrated that, in both male and female rats, the inhibition of the MAPK/ERK pathway in the CA1 region impaired the CFC memory reconsolidation when administered immediately and 3h after the reactivation session. However, this effect was not observed when administered 6h later. These findings indicate the involvement of the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in the reconsolidation of contextual fear conditioning memory in male and female rats and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying memory reconsolidation, highlighting a common molecular mechanism across sexes.

Over the past two decades, the Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial, a significant heritage site that highlights Shanghai’s wartime resistance during the Second Sino-Japanese War, has been characterized by interesting interactions between conservation and display that warrant scholarly attention. This essay explores the museum-making process and the role that it plays in shaping and disseminating narratives, particularly with regard to how memories of war that lie outside the mainstream are interpreted, exhibited, and communicated. Set against the backdrop of political directives, it examines photographs from historical newspapers, archives, museum collections, and on-site sources spanning from 1937 to the present. The goal is to explore how museums address and present alternative perspectives on war. By analyzing the curatorial decisions and exhibition strategies that have been employed in this context, this paper aims to investigate the complex dynamics that characterize the relationships among memory, politics, and historical representation in the museum context. It investigates how museums navigate the portrayal of individuals and emotions in the process of recounting war by mediating between official narratives and public recollections. In this context, the Memorial is a paradigmatic case that emerges as a product of political reenactment, while the corresponding exhibition narratives represent a departure from political constraints, thereby providing a platform from which the public can engage with and critically assess wartime history. This process involves balancing the remembrance of past conflicts with their legacies.

Drug-associated environmental cues can trigger drug-seeking behavior and precipitate relapse. In the current study, we identified that the claustrum (CL) connects the ventral tegmental area (VTA) with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), forming the VTA-CL-mPFC circuit. By using methamphetamine (METH) conditioned place preference (CPP) model in male mice, we found that manipulating the VTA-CL-mPFC circuit or CL neuronal ensemble receiving projections from VTA and projecting to mPFC (VTA-CL-mPFC) could disrupt the retrieval of METH-paired context memory, resulting in the blockage of the acquisition of METH CPP in male mice. During the process, dopamine (DA) release and dopamine 1-like receptor (D1R)-mediated the activation of CL neurons were required for the retrieval of METH-induced reward memory in male mice. These findings reveal a midbrain-to-cortical circuit orchestrated by CL neurons, which plays an essential role in the retrieval of drug-paired environmental cue memory.

BackgroundAlthough algorithmic companionship is becoming an increasingly integral part of daily life, evidence remains fragmented regarding whether AI virtual companions can become stable attachment figures, and how such attachments influence users' psychological states and offline social behaviors. Understanding these dynamics is particularly crucial in rapidly digitizing environments such as China, where mobile AI virtual companion applications are widely adopted.MethodsThis study takes a mixed-methods approach based on attachment theory. An initial systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to clarify the research variables and their theoretical foundations. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 users who had at least 6 months' experience of continuous usage to refine variable definitions and measurement items. Finally, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in mainland China (N = 612). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the associations between usage frequency, emotional attachment, loneliness, subjective wellbeing, self-concept clarity, and real-world social engagement. After assessing the psychometric properties via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability indices, the mediating pathways of these associations were examined.ResultsThe frequency of use positively correlates with emotional attachment to AI virtual companions (β = 0.44). Attachment negatively correlates with loneliness (β = −0.32) and positively with subjective wellbeing (β = 0.41) and self-concept clarity (β = 0.51). Of the three psychological pathways, those associated with loneliness, wellbeing, and self-concept clarity were found to be linked to higher levels of real-world social engagement. The indirect association via self-concept clarity was found to be the most significant. The model demonstrated an overall good fit [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.97; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.04].ConclusionThis study applies attachment theory to the domain of human–AI relationships, using Chinese users as a case study. It constructs a model that links ‘usage frequency, emotional attachment, psychological state, and real-world social engagement'. Self-concept clarity plays a vital role in bridging the gap between emotional attachment and real-world social engagement. Design implications include enhancing continuity features, contextual memory, and self-expression design, with the aim of fostering healthier psychological and social outcomes in AI virtual companion-related attachment.

Memory as a cognitive process is inherently reconstructive, and emotional material can significantly influence how human experiences and events are encoded and later recalled. Existing research using the Deese- Roediger - McDermott paradigm has demonstrated that emotionally charged information (positive and negative) can increase false memories, but findings on the impact of valence and the role of gender remain mixed. The present study examined the role of emotional valence (positive, negative, neutral) in the formation of false memories in adolescents and whether gender influences these associations. 53 participants aged 14 - 18 years completed an online standardized recognition task that involved six randomized DRM word lists presented in the form of short videos. Participants then completed a 48-item recognition task including words studied, critical lures and unrelated distractions. Results showcased that negative lists produced the highest false memory rates (M = 0.86), followed by positive (M = 0.74) and then neutral lists (M = 0. 69), while hit rates were highest for positive words (M = 0.78) and lowest for neutral words (M = 0.47). Results of discrimination scores were also highest for positive lists, showing better ability to discriminate between studies from unstudied words, whereas negative lists increased the reliance on gist-based processing. Gender analysis across all domains revealed no significant differences, suggesting similar memory performance across both genders (male and female). These findings show the influential role of emotional valence (particularly negative emotion) in shaping false memories, with implications for understanding false memories in educational, legal and media related contexts.

ABSTRACT Interdisciplinary scholarship on memory and embodiment highlights the body as a vital space where memory is experienced and memorialization performed. The concept of embodied memory encompasses how bodies retain, live through and perform memories in both individual and collective contexts. Annie Ernaux, Nobel laureate and a prominent author in contemporary autobiographical writing, is renowned for capturing the dynamics of memory, with a distinctive focus on the physical body and its role in memory formation, retention and transformation. This paper examines how Ernaux’s journals, Exteriors and Things Seen, depict memory as an embodied experience that transcends the cognitive domain, to engage with social and cultural realities. By foregrounding the body as both an archive and an interpreter of memory, this study reveals how Ernaux’s works bridge the personal and the collective, offering insights into the embodied dimensions of memory in contemporary life writing.

ABSTRACT The October 7, 2023 attack in Israel reshaped public life and deepened existing social fractures. This article examines how Israeli therapeutic discourse both reflects and shapes changing collective identities in its aftermath. Using trauma studies and social identity theory, it explores links between collective trauma, memory, and identity in the specific Israeli historical context. Based on thematic analysis of 16 Hebrew psychological articles (from 90 texts published between October 2023 and December 2024), three themes emerged: (1) the trauma’s unique character as cataclysmic, collective, and ongoing; (2) shifts in therapeutic discourse, including blurred professional boundaries and expansion of therapeutic roles into the social sphere; (3) changes in collective identity, moving from initial solidarity toward renewed polarization. The trauma is interpreted differently by social groups, each developing its own narrative. Three approaches are identified: a liberal approach emphasizing psychological awareness and advanced tools; a national‑religious approach grounded in historical and traditional resources; and an emerging integrative‑pragmatic approach among the non‑ideological public, which may critically shape Israel’s post‑war identity. The article proposes three future scenarios and offers “permeable boundaries” as a framework for balancing group uniqueness with national partnership.

Following a 2014 terrorist attack in Pakistan that killed 132 schoolchildren, the state renamed 107 public schools to memorialize the victims. However, post-Army Public School memory politics has become deeply contested. Drawing on ethnographic research at a renamed school site and the first-anniversary commemoration, this article examines how the state mobilizes a sacrificial discourse of martyrdom that positions the slain children as soldier-citizens, thus glorifying and celebrating their deaths. The renamed schools, as pedagogical toponyms, function as sites of active and passive indoctrination that cultivate desire for martyrdom and desensitize youth to violence through a hidden curriculum of patriotic sacrifice. Yet, even as the militarist state operates as a hegemonic and repressive memory machine, some parents exploit the contradictions within the martyrdom discourse to create opportunities for counter-grieving and alternative remembrance. This article contributes to our understanding of how memory in a transitional justice context becomes a site of power and contestation.

Whether attention key value (KV) states computed for one prompt for a small LLM (not SLM as it is built on LLM architecture) can be reused to accelerate inference on a new similar prompt, giving an increase to the space to its context memory using an approach called token recycling. Using a standard Hugging Face setup with DialoGPT-medium (a 345M parameter GPT-2 style decoder trained on 147M Reddit exchanges, 2005-2017) as the testbed, we build a cache of past activations and get entries by sentence embeddings, then reuse cached past key values when the cached prompt is an exact prefix of the new input. We compare recycled vs. baseline runs on latency and output fidelity, and log reuse depth in tokens. Reproducibility requires no model modifications, cached KVs are serialized to the CPU, reloaded, and supplied to the generate function to continue decoding from the cached prefix. In tests, we observe consistent speedups when prefix overlap exists, with no material degradation in output semantics, and when overlap is absent, behavior matches baseline.