Episodic memory refers to the capacity to bind multimodal memories to constitute a unique\r\npersonal event. Most developmental studies on episodic memory focused on one specific\r\ncomponent, i.e., the core factual information.The present study examines the relevance of a\r\nnovel episodic paradigm to assess its developmental trajectories in a more comprehensive\r\nway according to the type of association (item-feature, item-location, and item-sequence\r\nassociations) with measures of both objective and subjective recollection.We conducted\r\na behavioral study aimed at testing the effects of age in a large sample of 160 children,\r\nadolescents, and young adults (6ââ?¬â??23 years old).We confronted the behavioral data to the\r\nneural correlates in a subgroup of 30 children using voxel-based morphometry. Behavioral\r\ndata outlined differential developmental trajectories according to the type of association,\r\nwith a continuous increase of factual associative memory efficiency until 10 years, a linear\r\nincrease of performance in spatial associative memory that pursues until early adulthood\r\nand an abrupt increase in temporal associative memory efficiency between 9 and 10.\r\nRegarding recollection, measures showed a more pronounced enhancement from 9 to\r\n10 years. Hence, behavioral data highlight a peculiar period in late childhood (8ââ?¬â??10 years\r\nold) crucial for the developmental time course of episodic memory. Regarding structural\r\ndata, we found that the improvement of associative memory efficiency was related to a\r\ndecrease in gray matter volume in a large cerebral network including the dorsolateral and\r\nventrolateral prefrontal cortex (and superior and anterior temporal regions), and the hippocampus\r\nbilaterally. These data suggest that multimodal integration would probably be\r\nrelated to the maturation of temporal regions and modulated by a fronto-parietal network.\r\nBesides, our findings emphasize the relevance of the present paradigm to assess episodic\r\nmemory especially in the clinical setting
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