Functional neuroimaging of autobiographical memory

doi:10.1017/CBO9781139021937.010

7 - Functional neuroimaging of autobiographical memory

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 November 2012

Peggy L. Jacques

Edited by

Dorthe Berntsen and

David C. Rubin

Show author details

Dorthe Berntsen: Affiliation:
Aarhus Universitet, Denmark
David C. Rubin: Affiliation:
Duke University, North Carolina

Book contents

Get access

Summary

Autobiographical memory (AM) refers to memory for events from our own personal past. In the last decade there has been an explosion in the number of functional neuroimaging studies of AM, which is best exemplified in the number of reviews on this topic, varying from those focusing on the core regions involved in AM retrieval and methodological challenges (Maguire, 2001; Svoboda, McKinnon, and Levine, 2006), to emphasizing task-related differences in AM versus laboratory memory studies (Gilboa, 2004; McDermott, Szpunar, and Christ, 2009) or highlighting task-invariant patterns of activations common to AM and other similar tasks, such as imagining the future (e.g., Buckner and Carroll, 2007; Hassabis and Maguire, 2007; Schacter, Addis, and Buckner, 2007; Spreng and Grady, 2010). Functional neuroimaging studies of AM are important because they can investigate the neural correlates of processes that are difficult to study in laboratory stimuli (Cabeza and St. Jacques, 2007; St. Jacques and Cabeza, 2012). An AM researcher, however, may still question what exactly such studies contribute to our theoretical understanding of personal memory. The present chapter considers three integral aspects of AM where functional neuroimaging data provide us with important insights. First, functional neuroimaging studies can inform our understanding of the complex retrieval processes in AM by allowing the examination of separable phases of memory retrieval. Second, such studies can distinguish the specific role of self-reference in AM and how it potentially directs memory construction. Third, functional neuroimaging studies of AM offer compelling ideas regarding the role of recollection in the timing and interaction of multiple component processes during retrieval, as well as the potential contribution of familiarity processes in recognizing autobiographical experiences. Before turning to these aspects, I first briefly review the main functional neuroimaging methods for investigating AM and the core brain regions typically involved in AM retrieval, which will be relevant to the studies discussed here.

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: Understanding Autobiographical Memory
Theories and Approaches
, pp. 114 - 138

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139021937.010 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Andreano, J. M.Cahill, L. 2009 Sex influences on the neurobiology of learning and memoryLearning & Memory 16 248CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Andrews-Hanna, J. R.Reidler, J. S.Sepulcre, J.Poulin, R.Buckner, R. L. 2010 Functional-anatomic fractionation of the brain’s default networkNeuron 65 550CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Baddeley, A. D. 1992 What is autobiographical memoryConway, M. A.Rubin, D. C.Spinnler, H.Wagenaar, W. A.Theoretical perspectives on autobiographical memory13Norwell, MAKluwer AcademicCrossRef Google Scholar

Berntsen, D. 1996 Involuntary autobiographical memoriesApplied Cognitive Psychology 10 4353.0.CO;2-L>CrossRef Google Scholar

Berntsen, D. 2007 Involuntary autobiographical memories: speculations, findings and an attempt to integrate themMace, J.Involuntary memory20Malden, MABlackwellCrossRef Google Scholar

Berry, E.Kapur, N.Williams, L.Hodges, S.Watson, P.Smyth, G. 2007 The use of a wearable camera, SenseCam, as a pictorial diary to improve autobiographical memory in a patient with limbic encephalitis: a preliminary reportNeuropsychological Rehabilitation 17 582CrossRef Google Scholar

Berryhill, M. E.Phuong, L.Picasso, L.Cabeza, R.Olson, I. R. 2007 Parietal lobe and episodic memory: bilateral damage causes impaired free recall of autobiographical memoryJournal of Neuroscience 27 14415CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Botzung, A.Denkova, E.Ciuciu, P.Scheiber, C.Manning, L. 2008 The neural bases of the constructive nature of autobiographical memories studied with a self-paced fMRI designMemory 16 351CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Botzung, A.Rubin, D. C.Miles, A.Cabeza, R.Labar, K. S. 2010 Mental hoop diaries: emotional memories of a college basketball game in rival fansJournal of Neuroscience 30 2130CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Brewer, W. F. 1986 What is autobiographical memoryRubin, D. C.Autobiographical memory25New YorkCambridge University PressCrossRef Google Scholar

Brewer, W. F. 1996 What is recollective memoryRubin, D. C.Remembering our past: studies in autobiographical memory19New YorkCambridge University PressCrossRef Google Scholar

Buckner, R. L.Andrews-Hanna, J. R.Schacter, D. L. 2008 The brain’s default network: anatomy, function, and relevance to diseaseAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1124 1CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Buckner, R. L.Carroll, D. C. 2007 Self-projection and the brainTrends in Cognitive Sciences 11 49CrossRef Google Scholar

Cabeza, R. 2008 Role of parietal regions in episodic memory retrieval: the dual attention process hypothesisNeuropsychologia 46 1813CrossRef Google Scholar

Cabeza, R.Ciaramelli, E.Olson, I. R.Moscovitch, M. 2008 The parietal cortex and episodic memory: an attentional accountNature Reviews Neuroscience 9 613CrossRef Google Scholar

Cabeza, R.Prince, S. E.Daselaar, S. M.Greenberg, D. L.Budde, M.Dolcos, F. 2004 Brain activity during episodic retrieval of autobiographical and laboratory events: an fMRI study using a novel photo paradigmJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 16 1583CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Cabeza, R. 2007 Functional neuroimaging of autobiographical memoryTrends in Cognitive Sciences 11 219CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Calhoun, V. D.Adali, T.Pearlson, G. D.Pekar, J. J. 2001 Spatial and temporal independent component analysis of functional MRI data containing a pair of task-related waveformsHuman Brain Mapping 13 43CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Conway, M. A. 2001 Sensory-perceptual episodic memory and its context: autobiographical memoryPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 356 1375CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Conway, M. A. 2005 Memory and the selfJournal of Memory and Language 53 594CrossRef Google Scholar

Conway, M. A.Pleydell-Pearce, C. W. 2000 The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory systemPsychological Review 107 261CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Conway, M. A.Pleydell-Pearce, C. W.Whitecross, S. E.Sharpe, H. 2003 Neurophysiological correlates of memory for experienced and imagined eventsNeuropsychologia 41 334CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Conway, M. A.Turk, D. J.Miller, S. L.Logan, J.Nebes, R. D.Meltzer, C. C. 1999 A positron emission tomography (PET) study of autobiographical memory retrievalMemory 7 679CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Craik, F.Moroz, T.Moscovitch, M.Stuss, D.Winocur, G.Tulving, E. 1999 In search of self: a positron emission tomography studyPsychological Science 1 26CrossRef Google Scholar

Crovitz, H. F.Schiffman, S. 1974 Frequency of episodic memories as a function of their ageBulletin of the Psychonomic Society 4 517CrossRef Google Scholar

D’Argembeau, A.Ruby, P.Collette, F.Degueldre, C.Balteau, E.Luxen, A. 2007 Distinct regions of the medial prefrontal cortex are associated with self-referential processing and perspective takingJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 19 935CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Daselaar, S. M.Fleck, M. S.Prince, S. E.Cabeza, R. 2006 The medial temporal lobe distinguishes old from new independently of consciousnessJournal of Neuroscience 26 5835CrossRef Google Scholar

Daselaar, S. M.Rice, H. J.Greenberg, D. L.Cabeza, R.LaBar, K. S.Rubin, D. C. 2008 The spatiotemporal dynamics of autobiographical memory: neural correlates of recall, emotional intensity, and relivingCerebral Cortex 18 217CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Davis, P. J. 1999 Gender differences in autobiographical memory for childhood emotional experiencesJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 76 498CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Denkova, E.Botzung, A.Scheiber, C.Manning, L. 2006 Material-independent cerebral network of re-experiencing personal events: evidence from two parallel fMRI experimentsNeuroscience Letters 407 32CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Diana, R. A.Yonelinas, A. P.Ranganath, C. 2007 Imaging recollection and familiarity in the medial temporal lobe: a three-component modelTrends in Cognitive Sciences 11 379CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Dosenbach, N. U.Fair, D. A.Miezin, F. M.Cohen, A. L.Wenger, K. K.Dosenbach, R. A. 2007 Distinct brain networks for adaptive and stable task control in humansProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 104 11073CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Etkin, A.Wager, T. D. 2007 Functional neuroimaging of anxiety: a meta-analysis of emotional processing in PTSD, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobiaAmerican Journal of Psychiatry 164 1476CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Friedman, A.Pines, A. 1991 Sex differences in gender-related childhood memoriesSex Roles 25 25CrossRef Google Scholar

Friedman, W. J. 1993 Memory for the time of past eventsPsychological Bulletin 113 44CrossRef Google Scholar

Friedman, W. J. 2004 Time in autobiographical memorySocial Cognition 22 591CrossRef Google Scholar

Friston, K. J.Harrison, L.Penny, W. 2003 Dynamic causal modellingNeuroImage 19 1273CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Gilboa, A. 2004 Autobiographical and episodic memory – one and the same? Evidence from prefrontal activation in neuroimaging studiesNeuropsychologia 42 1336CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Greenberg, D. L.Rice, H. J.Cooper, J. J.Cabeza, R.Rubin, D. C.LaBar, K. S. 2005 Co-activation of the amygdala, hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus during autobiographical memory retrievalNeuropsychologia 43 659CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Greenberg, D. L.Rubin, D. C. 2003 The neuropsychology of autobiographical memoryCortex 39 687CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Gusnard, D. A.Raichle, M. E. 2001 Searching for a baseline: functional imaging and the resting human brainNature Reviews Neuroscience 2 685CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Hassabis, D.Maguire, E. A. 2007 Deconstructing episodic memory with constructionTrends in Cognitive Sciences 11 299CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Kahn, I.Andrews-Hanna, J. R.Vincent, J. L.Snyder, A. Z.Buckner, R. L. 2008 Distinct cortical anatomy linked to subregions of the medial temporal lobe revealed by intrinsic functional connectivityJournal of Neurophysiology 100 129CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Kelley, W. M.Macrae, C. N.Wyland, C. L.Caglar, S.Inati, S.Heatherton, T. F. 2002 Finding the self? An event-related fMRI studyJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 14 785CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Kesner, R. P.Gilbert, P. E.Barua, L. A. 2002 The role of the hippocampus in memory for the temporal order of a sequence of odorsBehavioral Neuroscience 116 286CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Klinger, E.Cox, W. M. 1987 Dimensions of thought flow in everyday lifeImagination, Cognition and Personality 7 105CrossRef Google Scholar

Krueger, F.Barbey, A. K.Grafman, J. 2009 The medial prefrontal cortex mediates social event knowledgeTrends in Cognitive Sciences 13 103CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

LaBar, K. S.Cabeza, R. 2006 Cognitive neuroscience of emotional memoryNature Reviews Neuroscience 7 54CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Levine, B.Svoboda, E.Hay, J. F.Winocur, G.Moscovitch, M. 2002 Aging and autobiographical memory: dissociating episodic from semantic retrievalPsychology and Aging 17 677CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Levine, B.Turner, G. R.Tisserand, D.Hevenor, S. J.Graham, S. J.McIntosh, A. R. 2004 The functional neuroanatomy of episodic and semantic autobiographical remembering: a prospective functional MRI studyJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 16 1633CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Macrae, C. N.Moran, J. M.Heatherton, T. F.Banfield, J. F.Kelley, W. M. 2004 Medial prefrontal activity predicts memory for selfCerebral Cortex 14 647CrossRef Google Scholar

Maguire, E. A. 2001 Neuroimaging studies of autobiographical event memoryPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 356 1441CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Maguire, E. A.Henson, R. N.Mummery, C. J.Frith, C. D. 2001 Activity in prefrontal cortex, not hippocampus, varies parametrically with the increasing remoteness of memoriesNeuroreport 12 441CrossRef Google Scholar

McDermott, K. B.Szpunar, K. K.Christ, S. E. 2009 Laboratory-based and autobiographical retrieval tasks differ substantially in their neural substratesNeuropsychologia 47 2290CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Miller, E. K.Cohen, J. D. 2001 An integrative theory of prefrontal cortex functionAnnual Review of Neuroscience 24 167CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Mitchell, J. P. 2009 Inferences about mental statesPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 364 1309CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Mitchell, K. J.Johnson, M. K. 2009 Source monitoring 15 years later: what have we learned from fMRI about the neural mechanisms of source memoryPsychological Bulletin 135 638CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Moscovitch, M. 1992 Memory and working-with-memoryJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 4 257CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Muscatell, K. A.Addis, D. R.Kensinger, E. A. 2010 Self-involvement modulates the effective connectivity of the autobiographical memory networkSocial, Cognitive, & Affective Neuroscience 5 68CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Norman, D. A.Bobrow, D. G. 1976 On the role of active memory processes in perception and cognitionCofer, C. N.The structure of human memorySan Francisco, CAFreemanGoogle Scholar

Parks, C. M.Yonelinas, A. P. 2007 Moving beyond pure signal-detection models: comment on Wixted (2007)Psychological Review 114 188CrossRef Google Scholar

Pauly-Takacs, K.Moulin, C. J. A.Estlin, E. J. 2010 SenseCam as a rehabilitation tool in a child with anterograde amnesiaMemory 29 705Google Scholar

Petrides, M. 2005 Lateral prefrontal cortex: architectonic and functional organizationPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 360 781CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Piefke, M.Weiss, P. H.Markowitsch, H. J.Fink, G. R. 2005 Gender differences in the functional neuroanatomy of emotional episodic autobiographical memoryHuman Brain Mapping 24 313CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Pillemer, D. B.Wink, P.DiDonato, T. E.Sanborn, R. L. 2003 Gender differences in autobiographical memory styles of older adultsMemory 11 525CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Piolino, P.Desgranges, B.Benali, K.Eustache, F. 2002 Episodic and semantic remote autobiographical memory in ageingMemory 10 239CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Pohl, R. F.Bender, M.Lachmann, G. 2005 Autobiographical memory and social skills of men and womenApplied Cognitive Psychology 19 745CrossRef Google Scholar

Rabin, J. S.Gilboa, A.Stuss, D. T.Mar, R. A.Rosenbaum, R. S. 2010 Common and unique neural correlates of autobiographical memory and theory of mindJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 22 1095CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Raichle, M. E.MacLeod, A. M.Snyder, A. Z.Powers, W. J.Gusnard, D. A.Shulman, G. L. 2001 A default mode of brain functionProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 98 676CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Reisberg, D.Heuer, F.McLean, J.O’Shaugnessy, M. 1988 The quantity, not the quality, of affect predicts memory vividnessBulletin of the Psychonomic Society 26 100CrossRef Google Scholar

Rosenbaum, R. S.Stuss, D. T.Levine, B.Tulving, E. 2007 Theory of mind is independent of episodic memoryScience 318 1257CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Ross, M.Holmberg, D. 1992 Are wives’ memories for events in relationships more vivid than their husbands’ memoriesJournal of Social and Personal Relationships 9 585CrossRef Google Scholar

Rubin, D. C. 2005 A basic-systems approach to autobiographical memoryCurrent Directions in Psychological Science 14 79CrossRef Google Scholar

Rubin, D. C. 2006 The basic-systems model of episodic memoryPerspectives in Psychological Science 1 277CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Rubin, D. C.Boals, A.Berntsen, D. 2008 Memory in posttraumatic stress disorder: properties of voluntary and involuntary, traumatic and nontraumatic autobiographical memories in people with and without posttraumatic stress disorder symptomsJournal of Experimental Psychology: General 137 591CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Rubin, D. C.Burt, C. D.Fifield, S. J. 2003 Experimental manipulations of the phenomenology of memoryMemory & Cognition 31 877CrossRef Google Scholar

Rubin, D. C.Greenberg, D. L. 1998 Visual memory-deficit amnesia: a distinct amnesic presentation and etiologyProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 95 5413CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Rubin, D. C.Schrauf, R. W.Greenberg, D. L. 2003 Belief and recollection of autobiographical memoriesMemory & Cognition 31 887CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Schacter, D. L.Addis, D. R.Buckner, R. L. 2007 Remembering the past to imagine the future: the prospective brainNature Reviews Neuroscience 8 657CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Seeley, W. W.Menon, V.Schatzberg, A. F.Keller, J.Glover, G. H.Kenna, H. 2007 Dissociable intrinsic connectivity networks for salience processing and executive controlJournal of Neuroscience 27 2349CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Seidlitz, L.Diener, E. 1998 Sex differences in the recall of affective experiencesJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 74 262CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Shin, L. M.Rauch, S. L.Pitman, R. K. 2006 Amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampal function in PTSDAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1071 67CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Skowronski, J. J.Thompson, C. P. 1990 Reconstructing the dates of events: gender differences in accuracyApplied Cognitive Psychology 4 371CrossRef Google Scholar

Spreng, R. N.Grady, C. L. 2010 Patterns of brain activity supporting autobiographical memory, Prospection, and theory-of-mind and their relationship to the default mode networkJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 22 1112CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Spreng, R. N.Mar, R. A.Kim, A. S. 2009 The common neural basis of autobiographical memory, prospection, navigation, theory of mind, and the default mode: a quantitative meta-analysisJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 21 489CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Jacques, P. L.Botzung, A.Miles, A.Rubin, D. C. 2011 Functional neuroimaging of emotionally intense autobiographical memories in post-traumatic stress disorderJournal of Psychiatric Research 45 630CrossRef Google Scholar

Jacques, P. L.Cabeza, R. 2012 Neural basis of autobiographical memoryGhetti, S.Bauer, P. J.Origins and development of recollection: perspectives from psychology and neuroscience188New YorkOxford University PressCrossRef Google Scholar

Jacques, P. L.Conway, M. A.Cabeza, R. 2010 Gender differences in autobiographical memory for everyday events: retrieval elicited by SenseCam Images vs. verbal cuesMemory 19 723CrossRef Google Scholar

Jacques, P. L.Conway, M. A.Lowder, M. W.Cabeza, R. 2011 Watching my mind unfold versus yours: an fMRI study using a novel camera technology to examine neural differences in self-projection of self versus other perspectivesJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 23 1275CrossRef Google Scholar

Jacques, P. L.Conway, M. A.Lowder, M. W.Cabeza, R. 2011

Jacques, P. L.Kragel, P. A.Rubin, D. C. 2011 Dynamic neural networks supporting memory retrievalNeuroImage 57 608CrossRef Google Scholar

Jacques, P. L.Levine, B. 2007 Ageing and autobiographical memory for emotional and neutral eventsMemory 15 129CrossRef Google Scholar

Jacques, P. L.Rubin, D. C.Cabeza, R. 2010

Jacques, P. L.Rubin, D. C.Labar, K. S.Cabeza, R. 2008 The short and long of it: neural correlates of temporal-order memory for autobiographical eventsJournal of Cognitive Neuroscience 20 1327CrossRef Google Scholar

Jacques, P. L.Rubin, D. C.Lowder, M. W.Cabeza, R. 2009

Steinvorth, S.Corkin, S.Halgren, E. 2006 Ecphory of autobiographical memories: an fMRI study of recent and remote memory retrievalNeuroImage 30 285CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Stevens, M. C.Kiehl, K. A.Pearlson, G. D.Calhoun, V. D. 2007 Functional neural networks underlying response inhibition in adolescents and adultsBehavioural Brain Research 181 12CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Suddendorf, T.Corballis, M. C. 2007 The evolution of foresight: what is mental time travel, and is it unique to humansBehavioral and Brain Sciences 30 299CrossRef Google Scholar

Svoboda, E.McKinnon, M. C.Levine, B. 2006 The functional neuroanatomy of autobiographical memory: a meta-analysisNeuropsychologia 44 2189CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Talarico, J. M.LaBar, K. S.Rubin, D. C. 2004 Emotional intensity predicts autobiographical memory experienceMemory & Cognition 32 1118CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Tulving, E. 1983 Elements of memoryOxfordClarendon PressGoogle Scholar

Uzer, T.Lee, P. J.Brown, N. R.On the prevalence of directly retrieved autobiographical memoriesJournal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition

Valenstein, E.Bowers, D.Verfaellie, M.Heilman, K. M.Day, A.Watson, R. T. 1987 Retrosplenial amnesiaBrain 110 1631CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Van Overwalle, F. 2009 Social cognition and the brain: a meta-analysisHuman Brain Mapping 30 829CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Vincent, J. L.Kahn, I.Snyder, A. Z.Raichle, M. E.Buckner, R. L. 2008 Evidence for a frontoparietal control system revealed by intrinsic functional connectivityJournal of Neurophysiology 100 3328CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Vincent, J. L.Snyder, A. Z.Fox, M. D.Shannon, B. J.Andrews, J. R.Raichle, M. E. 2006 Coherent spontaneous activity identifies a hippocampal-parietal memory networkJournal of Neurophysiology 96 3517CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Wheeler, M. A.Stuss, D. T.Tulving, E. 1997 Toward a theory of episodic memory: the frontal lobes and autonoetic consciousnessPsychological Bulletin 121 331CrossRef Google Scholar

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.