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The cognitive neuroscience of memory representations
Michael D Rugg1, Louis Renoult2
1Center for Vital Longevity and School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|October 13, 2025
Summary
This study explores episodic memory representations in cognitive neuroscience. It proposes a causal framework for memory, emphasizing how retrieved information combines with other data to form active memories.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroscience of Memory
Background:
- Current empirical and theoretical issues in memory research.
- Distinguishing between active vs. latent and cognitive vs. neural memory representations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the cognitive neuroscience of memory from a representational perspective.
- To shed light on current empirical and theoretical issues in memory research.
- To adopt a causal perspective on memory representations.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of memory representations.
- Focus on episodic memory.
- Examination of causal connections in memory formation and retrieval.
Main Results:
- Proposed a causal perspective where memory representations must link to past events.
- Highlighted that active memory content integrates retrieved information with semantic, schematic, and situational data.
- Discussed re-encoding operations and the reinstatement framework for memory trace formation.
Conclusions:
- Episodic memory representations are formed through causal chains, involving hippocampal engrams and neocortical activity.
- Memory modification can distance representations from original experiences.
- The reinstatement framework offers a mechanistic basis for memory encoding and retrieval.
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