CNI Seminar: James Kragel

James Kragel
Computational Memory Lab
University of Pennsylvania

General neural markers of episodic memory function

The ability to remember the past varies from moment to moment, with some memories readily accessible yet others lost with time. In this talk, I will present evidence from two intracranial electroencephalography studies demonstrating that successful memory function depends upon the function of a core memory network. In the first study, I will use multivariate classification techniques to demonstrate that common neural processes predict the successful encoding and free recall of unrelated word lists. I will present a second study showing how semantic similarity influences the neural processes associated with encoding and retrieval in a task where subjects are presented categorized and unrelated lists of words. The semantic similarity of categorized lists caused subjects to cluster their recalls of same-category items, with the degree of clustering predicting improved rates of recall. Classifiers trained to decode successful memory states during either encoding or retrieval generalized across both types of lists. Increases in high frequency power with concurrent decreases in low frequency power across prefrontal, temporal and parietal sites informed these classifiers, serving as a general marker of memory function. These findings suggest that the engagement of a core memory network during either encoding or retrieval shapes the ability to remember the past, irrespective of how and what we remember.


A pizza lunch will be served.