Childhood amnesia (infantile amnesia)

Biological Parallel

Young mammals lack adult memory capacity—hippocampal maturation is incomplete, and rapid brain reorganization during development overwrites early traces. Childhood amnesia reflects immature memory infrastructure: early experiences occur before the neural hardware capable of long-term autobiographical storage is fully built. This isn't loss; it's building a foundation before the structure: early learning shapes architecture even when specific memories don't persist.