{
  "abstract": "Memory allows animals to utilize ecologically relevant information, yet whether it endures through prolonged metabolic shutdown is poorly understood. We tested spatial memory retention in a long-term, free-living hibernator, the Columbian ground squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus), using a field-based spatial maze over two consecutive active seasons. Ten individuals were tested before and after a 9-month hibernation period and compared with eight naive individuals. Maze-solving performances-time to exit, path sinuosity and navigational errors-were analysed over 10 consecutive trials using Bayesian nonlinear learning curves to separate retained memory from relearning. Strikingly, post-hibernation individuals with prior exposure to the task significantly outperformed naive individuals by 41-98% across all metrics, with initial performance after hibernation approaching pre-hibernation asymptotes. We show that spatial memory survives prolonged hibernation in the wild, supporting the hypothesis that neural plasticity during hibernation reflects adaptive retention rather than memory loss.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Anaïs Beauvieux"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jeremy Werner"
    },
    {
      "name": "F. Stephen Dobson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lauriane Kuhn"
    },
    {
      "name": "Samuel Laporte"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ashley Olson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Claire Saraux"
    },
    {
      "name": "Meagan Dewar"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vincent Viblanc"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b6vpy6y58mh0m.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1098/rsbl.2026.0220",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "b6vpy6y58mh0m",
  "issns": [
    "1744-9561"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05787046v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sdv"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Memory and Neural Mechanisms"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220662963",
  "pdf_url": "https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article-pdf/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2026.0220/6168969/rsbl.2026.0220.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-07",
  "publisher": "Royal Society, The",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b6vpy6y58mh0m.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:51Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05787046",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05787046v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2805|Memory and Neural Mechanisms",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Memory on ice: spatial memory is retained over a 9-month hibernation period in Columbian ground squirrels",
  "title_text": "Memory on ice: spatial memory is retained over a 9-month hibernation period in Columbian ground squirrels",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:51Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b6vpy6y58mh0m",
  "venue": "Biology Letters",
  "versions": []
}