The neural basis of involuntary episodic memories.

Hall, Shana A

Rubin, David C

Miles, Amanda

Davis, Simon W

Wing, Erik A

Cabeza, Roberto

Berntsen, Dorthe

United States

2016-05-15T16:04:23Z

2014-10

Voluntary episodic memories require an intentional memory search, whereas involuntary episodic memories come to mind spontaneously without conscious effort. Cognitive neuroscience has largely focused on voluntary memory, leaving the neural mechanisms of involuntary memory largely unknown. We hypothesized that, because the main difference between voluntary and involuntary memory is the controlled retrieval processes required by the former, there would be greater frontal activity for voluntary than involuntary memories. Conversely, we predicted that other components of the episodic retrieval network would be similarly engaged in the two types of memory. During encoding, all participants heard sounds, half paired with pictures of complex scenes and half presented alone. During retrieval, paired and unpaired sounds were presented, panned to the left or to the right. Participants in the involuntary group were instructed to indicate the spatial location of the sound, whereas participants in the voluntary group were asked to additionally recall the pictures that had been paired with the sounds. All participants reported the incidence of their memories in a postscan session. Consistent with our predictions, voluntary memories elicited greater activity in dorsal frontal regions than involuntary memories, whereas other components of the retrieval network, including medial-temporal, ventral occipitotemporal, and ventral parietal regions were similarly engaged by both types of memories. These results clarify the distinct role of dorsal frontal and ventral occipitotemporal regions in predicting strategic retrieval and recalled information, respectively, and suggest that, although there are neural differences in retrieval, involuntary memories share neural components with established voluntary memory systems.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24702453

1530-8898

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12027

eng

MIT Press - Journals

J Cogn Neurosci

10.1162/jocn_a_00633

Acoustic Stimulation

Adolescent

Adult

Association Learning

Brain

Brain Mapping

Cues

Female

Functional Laterality

Humans

Image Processing, Computer-Assisted

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Male

Memory, Episodic

Mental Recall

Oxygen

Young Adult

The neural basis of involuntary episodic memories.

Journal article

Davis, Simon W|0000-0002-5943-0756

Cabeza, Roberto|0000-0001-7999-1182

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24702453

2385

2399

10

Center for Cognitive Neuroscience

Center for Population Health & Aging

Clinical Science Departments

Duke

Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

Duke Population Research Institute

Duke Science & Society

Duke-UNC Center for Brain Imaging and Analysis

Initiatives

Institutes and Centers

Institutes and Provost's Academic Units

Neurology

Neurology, Behavioral Neurology

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Geriatric Behavioral Health

Psychology and Neuroscience

Sanford School of Public Policy

School of Medicine

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

University Institutes and Centers

Published

26