Perceptual priming is a nonconscious memory process that improves the recognition and identification of objects or words through repeated exposure. Recent evidence suggests that perceptual priming and decreased neural responses with item repetition share similar properties, including graded changes with repetition, resistance to stimulus attribute manipulations, and independence from awareness. These findings indicate that perceptual priming may be mediated by decreased neural responses associated with perceptual learning. Perceptual priming is resistant to changes in physical attributes such as color, pattern, and size, but is affected by changes that alter the ability to identify stimulus form. It is also resistant to attentional manipulations and developmental changes, unlike episodic memory. Perceptual priming effects are long-lasting, even in amnesic patients, and can be detected after delays of up to 48 weeks. The graded nature of priming suggests an automatic mechanism that monitors repetition frequency without conscious awareness. Neurophysiological studies show that repetition suppression, a reduced neural response to repeated stimuli, is a key mechanism for perceptual priming. This effect is observed in various brain regions, including the inferior temporal cortex, and is resistant to manipulations of stimulus attributes and awareness. Functional brain imaging studies in humans also show decreased neural activity associated with perceptual priming, supporting the idea that repetition suppression mediates this phenomenon. The neural mechanisms of perceptual priming involve the sharpening of stimulus representations in the cortex, leading to more efficient and faster behavioral responses. This process is automatic and intrinsic to cortical neurons, allowing for rapid identification of previously encountered objects. Perceptual priming and episodic memory are supported by distinct neural systems, with perceptual priming showing stable properties across the lifespan, while episodic memory shows a more variable developmental course. Recent research highlights the importance of understanding the neural mechanisms underlying perceptual priming, as well as the relationship between behavioral and neurophysiological responses. Further studies are needed to clarify how repetition suppression and other neural mechanisms contribute to perceptual priming and to determine the extent to which these processes are conserved across the lifespan.Perceptual priming is a nonconscious memory process that improves the recognition and identification of objects or words through repeated exposure. Recent evidence suggests that perceptual priming and decreased neural responses with item repetition share similar properties, including graded changes with repetition, resistance to stimulus attribute manipulations, and independence from awareness. These findings indicate that perceptual priming may be mediated by decreased neural responses associated with perceptual learning. Perceptual priming is resistant to changes in physical attributes such as color, pattern, and size, but is affected by changes that alter the ability to identify stimulus form. It is also resistant to attentional manipulations and developmental changes, unlike episodic memory. Perceptual priming effects are long-lasting, even in amnesic patients, and can be detected after delays of up to 48 weeks. The graded nature of priming suggests an automatic mechanism that monitors repetition frequency without conscious awareness. Neurophysiological studies show that repetition suppression, a reduced neural response to repeated stimuli, is a key mechanism for perceptual priming. This effect is observed in various brain regions, including the inferior temporal cortex, and is resistant to manipulations of stimulus attributes and awareness. Functional brain imaging studies in humans also show decreased neural activity associated with perceptual priming, supporting the idea that repetition suppression mediates this phenomenon. The neural mechanisms of perceptual priming involve the sharpening of stimulus representations in the cortex, leading to more efficient and faster behavioral responses. This process is automatic and intrinsic to cortical neurons, allowing for rapid identification of previously encountered objects. Perceptual priming and episodic memory are supported by distinct neural systems, with perceptual priming showing stable properties across the lifespan, while episodic memory shows a more variable developmental course. Recent research highlights the importance of understanding the neural mechanisms underlying perceptual priming, as well as the relationship between behavioral and neurophysiological responses. Further studies are needed to clarify how repetition suppression and other neural mechanisms contribute to perceptual priming and to determine the extent to which these processes are conserved across the lifespan.