TY - JOUR T1 - Combined Pharmacological and Electrophysiological Dissociation of Familiarity and Recollection JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 1979 LP - 1985 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5370-05.2006 VL - 26 IS - 7 AU - Tim Curran AU - Casey DeBuse AU - Brion Woroch AU - Elliot Hirshman Y1 - 2006/02/15 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/26/7/1979.abstract N2 - Dual-process theories of recognition memory hypothesize separate underlying familiarity and recollection processes, but the necessity of multiple processes is debated. Previous research has suggested that scalp-recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) may index the activity of separate familiarity and recollection processes. Other research indicates that the amnestic drug midazolam impairs recollection more than familiarity. Here, we used a convergent pharmacological and electrophysiological approach to manipulate and monitor human brain activity and provide evidence for separate processes. Midazolam selectively influenced the putative ERP-correlate of recollection but not the putative ERP-correlate of familiarity. Under control conditions (saline), subjects’ accuracy correlated with the recollection-related but not the familiarity-related ERP component, suggesting that recollection was dominant in driving memory. The opposite pattern was observed under midazolam administration, suggesting that when recollection fails, subjects may leverage familiarity to compensate. Thus, in contrast to perspectives holding that familiarity represents the default process, these results suggest that recollection was dominant until its impairment unveiled the influence of familiarity. ER -