Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
Published on: May 4, 2011
Brain regions differentially involved in remembering what and when: a PET study
R Cabeza1, J Mangels, L Nyberg
1Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Recollecting a past episode involves remembering not only what happened but also when it happened. We used positron emission tomography (PET) to directly contrast the neural correlates of item and temporalorder memory. Subjects studied a list of words and were then scanned while retrieving information about what words were in the list or when they occurred within the list. Item retrieval was related to increased neural activity in medial temporal and basal forebrain regions, whereas temporal-order retrieval was associated with activations in dorsal prefrontal, cuneus/precuneus, and right posterior parietal regions. The dissociation between temporal and frontal lobe regions confirms and extends previous lesion data. The results show that temporal-order retrieval involves a network of frontal and posterior brain regions.
Related Concept Videos
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Role of Amygdala in Memory
One of the...
Role of Hippocampus in Memory
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

