Abstract
During the formation of new episodic memories, a rich array of perceptual information is bound together for long-term storage. However, the brain mechanisms by which sensory representations (such as colors, objects, or individuals) are selected for episodic encoding are currently unknown. We describe a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment in which participants encoded the association between two classes of visual stimuli that elicit selective responses in the extrastriate visual cortex (faces and houses). Using connectivity analyses, we show that correlation in the hemodynamic signal between face- and place-sensitive voxels and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is a reliable predictor of successful face–house binding. These data support the view that during episodic encoding, “top-down” control signals originating in the prefrontal cortex help determine which perceptual information is fated to be bound into the new episodic memory trace.
Highlights
An important goal of memory research is to describe how perceptual experiences are transformed into new memories [1]
Human neuropsychology and neuroimaging have offered important insights into the functional neuroanatomy of episodic memory formation, revealing that it involves a network of brain regions including the medial temporal lobes (MTLs), the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and neocortical zones involved in perceptual representation of the study material or task [2,3]
Visual inspection suggested that memory performance was reliably poorer on the first three blocks of the experiment, and this was confirmed by statistical analyses (F 1⁄4 5.72, p, 0.01)
Summary
An important goal of memory research is to describe how perceptual experiences are transformed into new memories [1]. More recently, a number of researchers have argued that during episodic encoding, the function of the PFC may be to regulate input to the MTL by modulating activity in the sensory neocortex [1,9,10,11,12], which is in line with evidence from outside the domain of memory research that a key role of the PFC is to select perceptual representations on the basis of their relevance to a current goal or task [13,14]. Selected perceptual information eventually reaches MTL structures including the hippocampus, whose role is to associate (or ‘‘bind’’) the details of an episode (such as objects, colors, or individuals) into a memory trace for long-term storage [16–
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
