Modeling the cholinergic innervation in the infant cortico-hippocampal system and its contribution to early memory development and attention

Infants present impressive developmental changes during the first year in almost all domains marked by memory categorization and variability. We propose that one important actor for this developmental shift is the cholinergic innervation of the cortico-hippocampal circuits. Based on neurological observations and developmental studies done in infants, we model how the neuromodulator acetylcholine could be gradually released from the fetal period till the first year in the hippocampal system to support the detection and the sustaining of novel signals. By doing so, the cholinergic system realizes the functional reorganization of the cortico-hippocampal system which can progressively operate then as a working memory for novelty.