Children exhibit greater persistence of motor learning-related patterns of hippocampal activity into post-task wake epochs

Van Roy, A.; Temudo, A.; Taylor, E. K.; Koppelmans, V.; Hoedlmoser, K.; Albouy, G.; King, B. R.

doi:10.64898/2026.04.02.716229

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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.04.02.716229

Children exhibit greater persistence of motor learning-related patterns of hippocampal activity into post-task wake epochs

Van Roy, A.·Temudo, A.·Taylor, E. K.·Koppelmans, V.·Hoedlmoser, K.·Albouy, G.·King, B. R.

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Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that children exhibit superior - as compared to adults - consolidation of newly acquired motor sequences across post-learning periods of wakefulness. Given that consolidation is thought to be supported by the reactivation of learning-related patterns of brain activity during the rest periods following active task practice, we hypothesized that the childhood advantage in offline consolidation may be linked to greater reactivation during post-learning wakefulness. Twenty-two children (7-11 years) and 23 adults (18-30 years) completed two sessions of a motor sequence learning task, separated by a 5-hour wake interval. Multivoxel analyses of task-related and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were employed to assess the persistence of learning-related patterns of neural activity into post-task rest epochs, reflective of reactivation processes. Behavioral results demonstrated the previously reported childhood advantage in offline consolidation over a post-learning wake interval. Imaging results revealed that children exhibited greater persistence of task-related hippocampal - but not putaminal - activity into post-learning rest as compared to adults. These findings suggest that the childhood advantage in awake motor memory consolidation may be supported, at least partially, by enhanced reactivation of task-dependent hippocampal activity patterns during offline epochs.

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Van Roy, A., Temudo, A., Taylor, E. K., Koppelmans, V., Hoedlmoser, K., Albouy, G., King, B. R.. 2026-04-04. Children exhibit greater persistence of motor learning-related patterns of hippocampal activity into post-task wake epochs. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.02.716229

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