# Influence of reward on memory consolidation in adults and adolescence

> **NIH NIH R21** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2020 · $178,449

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Adolescence marks a state of increased engagement of dopamine systems, a neurobiological state associated
with increased reward-motivated behaviors. While increased dopamine signaling during this time period
predominately supports adaptive developmental processes, such as exploration and reward learning, it can
also propel risk taking behaviors associated with substance use and abuse. Prominent animal models have
shown that engagement of dopamine systems and increased reward sensitivtycan increase plasticity and
consolidation in hippocampal learning systems, resulting in enhanced memory for rewarding events. Critically,
these enhancements in memory underlie the reinstatement of prior drug-related contexts and propel drug use.
While a large rodent literature has focused on reward’s influence on hippocampal-dependent plasticity,
relatively little work has characterized these processes in human adults or adolescents. We propose to study
the influence of reward on memory consolidation and episodic memory throughout adolescence into early
adulthood. We will study 90 14- to 25- year-old healthy subjects using multiple neuroimaging modalities. All
participants will complete a reward memory paradigm, which will allow for the quantification of the influence of
reward on episodic memory, i.e. a behavioral marker of hippocampal consolidation. Memory enhancements for
reward will be associated with neural markers related to memory consolidation. In Aim 1, we will characterize
associations between reward-mediated memory enhancements and neural markers of consolidation in healthy
adults, allowing us to translate and extend animal models into a human neuroscience framework. In Aim 2, we
will characterize these relationships throughout adolescence to better understand how adolescents heighted
sensitivity to reward influences long-term memory representations throughout development. This work will
provide a deeper understanding of how hippocampal plasticity is influenced by reward throughout
adolescence, and bolster a foundation to better understand the vulnerability to substance abuse in this
population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9937701
- **Project number:** 5R21DA043568-02
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Vishnu Pradeep Murty
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $178,449
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9937701

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9937701, Influence of reward on memory consolidation in adults and adolescence (5R21DA043568-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9937701. Licensed CC0.

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