A Toaster in the Bathroom: Neural Correlates of Semantic Construction During Episodic Memory Recall
Carina Zoellner, Rebekka Heinen, Nicole Klein, Nora A. Herweg, Christian J. Merz, Oliver T. Wolf

TL;DR
This study explores how semantic knowledge influences the brain's reconstruction of past events during memory recall using fMRI and a virtual environment.
Contribution
The study reveals how semantic knowledge biases episodic memory retrieval through neural similarity patterns in the lateral occipital cortex.
Findings
Semantic representations of objects increased with better memory performance.
Spatial memory was reflected in similarity patterns in the lateral occipital cortex.
Incongruent objects showed higher encoding-retrieval similarity compared to congruent objects.
Abstract
When recalling what you ate for breakfast last Wednesday, you might not remember the exact meal, but you may confidently select the items you typically eat. Here, semantic knowledge (i.e., what you usually eat) contributes to the reconstructive process of episodic memory retrieval (i.e., what you actually ate). In the current fMRI study, we used a highly realistic virtual environment to test this influence of semantic knowledge on episodic memory retrieval. During the task, 60 participants actively (task‐relevant) or passively (task‐irrelevant) encountered everyday objects that were either congruent (i.e., rubber duck in the bathroom) or incongruent (i.e., a toaster in the bathroom) with their expected location. Thereby, we created conflicting information between the episodic memory trace (toaster in the bathroom) and semantic information (toaster in the kitchen) during retrieval. Using…
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Taxonomy
TopicsMemory and Neural Mechanisms · Memory Processes and Influences · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
