Mechanisms of Memory Updating: State Dependency vs. Reconsolidation

Reactivating a memory trace has been argued to put it in a fragile state where it must undergo a stabilization process known as reconsolidation. During this process, memories are thought to be susceptible to interference and can be updated with new information. In the spatial context paradigm, memory updating has been shown to occur when new information is presented in the same spatial context as old information, an effect attributed to a reconsolidation process. However, the integration concept holds that memory change can only occur when reactivation and test states are the same, similar to a state-dependent effect. Thus, in human episodic memory, memory updating should only be found when state is the same across the study, reactivation, and test sessions. We investigated whether memory updating can be attributed to state dependency in two experiments using mood as a state. We found evidence of memory updating only when mood was the same across all sessions of the experiments, lending support to the integration concept and posing a challenge to a reconsolidation explanation.