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"I remember thinking …": Neural activity associated with subsequent memory for stimulus-evoked internal mentations.
Michael Gilead1, Nira Liberman, Anat Maril
1a Department of Psychology , Tel-Aviv University , Ramat-Aviv , Tel-Aviv , Israel.
Social Neuroscience
|March 28, 2014
Summary
Remembering internal thoughts involves brain activity in language areas. Not recalling thoughts is linked to the default-mode network, revealing the neurobiology of inner monologue recall.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Conscious thought is an inner monologue of waking experiences.
- The neurobiology of remembering internal mentations is largely unknown.
- Prior research focused on remembering external stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the neurobiological basis of remembering internal mentations.
- Identify brain regions associated with the recall of spontaneous thoughts.
- Differentiate neural correlates of reporting versus not reporting internal mentations.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan neural activity.
- Participants incidentally produced spontaneous internal mentations while viewing sentences.
- Post-scan recall task to report specific thoughts during sentence presentation.
Main Results:
- Activation in classic language processing areas correlated with recollecting thoughts.
- Increased activity in default-mode network regions (right lateralized, medial) associated with not reporting thoughts.
- Neural activity patterns distinguish between reporting and not reporting internal mentations.
Conclusions:
- Classic language areas are crucial for remembering internal mentations.
- The default-mode network may play a role in the absence of reported internal thought.
- This study provides insight into the neural underpinnings of introspective memory.
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