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Perceived plausibility modulates hippocampal activity in episodic counterfactual thinking
Kaylee Miceli1,2, Ricardo Morales-Torres2,3, Ari Khoudary4
1Department of Philosophy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Hippocampus
|October 31, 2023
Summary
Imagining alternative past events (episodic counterfactual thinking) engages the hippocampus. Plausibility positively modulates hippocampal activity, specifically in the left anterior region, during this cognitive process.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Human Memory
Background:
- Episodic counterfactual thinking (ECT) involves imagining alternative past outcomes.
- ECT shares neural mechanisms with episodic future thinking (EFT), both relying on the hippocampus.
- Previous studies explored hippocampal engagement in EFT based on event plausibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether perceived plausibility modulates hippocampal activity during ECT.
- To determine the specific location and nature of hippocampal modulation by plausibility in ECT.
Main Methods:
- Combined two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets.
- Analyzed hippocampal activity in relation to perceived plausibility ratings during ECT tasks.
Main Results:
- Perceived plausibility significantly and parametrically modulated hippocampal activity during ECT.
- This modulation was specifically localized to the left anterior hippocampus.
- Increased left anterior hippocampal activity correlated positively with higher ECT plausibility ratings.
Conclusions:
- The left anterior hippocampus plays a crucial role in constructing plausible episodic counterfactuals.
- Findings suggest the hippocampus's role extends beyond effort or difficulty, potentially in scenario construction.
- This highlights the hippocampus's involvement in flexible cognition, encompassing both past and future thinking.
Keywords:
episodic counterfactual thinkingepisodic future thinkinghippocampusparametric modulationperceived plausibilityMore Related Videos
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