Interfacing mind and brain: A neurocognitive model of recognition memory

Abstract

A variety of processes contribute to successful recognition memory, some of which can be associated with spatiotemporally distinct event-related potential old/new effects. An early frontal and a subsequent parietal old/new effect are correlated with the familiarity and recollection subcomponents of recognition memory, respectively, whereas a late, postretrieval old/new effect seems to reflect an ensemble of evaluation processes that are set by the task context in which retrieval occurs. Both the early frontal and the parietal old/new effects are differentially modulated by the informational content (e.g., object forms and spatial locations) of recognition and seem to rely on brain systems damaged in amnesia. The late frontal effect appears to reflect prefrontal cortex activation. A neurophysiologically based model of recognition memory retrieval is presented and it is shown that coupling recognition memory subprocesses with distinct old/new effects allow examination of the time course of the processes that contribute to correct and to illusory memories. In conjunction with event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging activation patterns the brain systems recruited by various aspects of episodic memory retrieval can be identified.

Conceptual and perceptual memory: Retrieval orientations reflected in event-related potentials

“…Research with event-related potentials has suggested that diVerent, separable brain responses are associated with recollection and familiarity (Mecklinger, 2000;Rugg & Yonelinas, 2003). Old items elicit an early (300-500 ms), attenuated midfrontal negativity, sometimes called the FN400, when they evoke a sense of familiarity.…”

“…Do diVerences in the to-be-retrieved material determine the scalp distribution of oldnew eVects, suggesting the operation of diVerent neuronal populations? Most studies of ERP old-new eVects have found relatively invariant distributions, but a few have sought for, and found, material dependence in the localization of eVects (Mecklinger, 2000;Rösler, Heil, & Hennighausen, 1995). Our design allows us to contrast same-format versus changed-format items, as well as studied pictures versus studied words, independently of test format.…”

Changes in brain electrical activity during extended continuous word recognition

“…If words are presented twice in a single series, the correct identification of words that are shown for the second time (i.e., as doldT stimuli) is associated with an increased positivity of the ERP waveform in the time range of 300-800 ms after stimulus onset (for reviews, see Mecklinger, 2000;Rugg, 1995). This dold/ newT effect has been explained by Rugg (1995) as a reduction of the word-elicited N400 by a positive component that reflects the awareness that a word has recently been experienced.…”

Memory for perceived and imagined pictures—an event-related potential study

“…[44,52,74]), which suggests that it indexes neural activity associated with retrieval of information about a prior event rather than with stimulus repetition alone or merely responding "old". It has been suggested that the old/new effect observed during episodic memory may comprise a number of spatio-temporally specific sub-components that reflect different aspects of retrieval [20,40]. Interpreted within the context of dual-process models, an early (300-500 ms post-stimulus) old/new effect has been linked to familiarity and is assumed to evolve from an attenuation of a frontal N400-like component for old items [14,15,39,41,56], whereas the enhancement of a late positive component (400-800 ms), typically, maximal at left parietal regions (but see, e.g.…”