# Episodic events are flexibly encoded in both integrated and separated neural representations

## TL;DR

The brain flexibly encodes both shared and unique aspects of events to support memory and inference.

## Contribution

The study reveals how integrated and separated neural representations support different memory goals.

## Key findings

- Similar neural patterns support relational inference across events.
- Distinct neural patterns support accurate memory of individual events.

## Abstract

Remembering everyday events involves noticing what different experiences share and preserving the details that set them apart, yet the neural processes supporting this balance remain unclear. Here, we record EEG while participants view naturalistic movie scenes that introduce episodic events with overlapping elements. Using time-resolved representational similarity analysis, we find that these events evoke both similarities and dissimilarities in neural patterns as new information unfolds. Similarities predict successful inference of information across separate episodes, consistent with integrative encoding. Dissimilarities, by contrast, predict accurate memory for individual events, indicating the formation of distinct event-specific traces. Together, these findings indicate that the brain encodes both integrated and separated neural representations to flexibly support different mnemonic goals and to balance relational inference with detailed recollection.

People often need to remember unique details while also finding connections across experiences. Here, the authors show that the brain flexibly links related events while preserving their distinct features to support different memory goals.