Grech, Daniel (2025) The Dynamics and Role of Representational Drift. Master's Thesis / Essay, Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences.
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Abstract
The discovery of the memory engram; the trace of a memory encoded by specific patterns of activity across a network of neurons, sparked intense investigation into how memories are stored, maintained, and modified within the brain over time. More recently, it was found that these representations are not static but tend to drift gradually, even as behavior remains stable. In this essay, I aim to understand the role of representational drift by reviewing experimental findings from multiple aspects of this phenomenon. I first discuss how memory representations can remain stable in spite of drift as well as its advantage in allowing for flexible representations. I examine how active experience, as opposed to the mere passage of time, differentially influences the progression of drift. I then review experiments observing drift across different brain regions and their respective dynamics. Possible cellular and network-level mechanisms driving representational drift are also considered. Finally, I attempt to integrate these insights with existing theories of memory and propose future directions for research in this field. Together, this work highlights the importance of drift within neural systems and its contribution within learning and memory.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay) |
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| Supervisor name: | Havekes, R. |
| Degree programme: | Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences |
| Thesis type: | Master's Thesis / Essay |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Jul 2025 06:14 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Jul 2025 06:14 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/36371 |
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