Intracranial electroencephalography reveals two distinct similarity effects during item recognition

Brain Res. 2009 Nov 24:1299:33-44. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.07.016. Epub 2009 Jul 16.

Abstract

Behavioral studies of visual recognition memory indicate that old/new decisions reflect both the similarity of the probe to the studied items (probe-item similarity) and the similarities among the studied items themselves (list homogeneity). Recording intracranial electroencephalography from 1,155 electrodes across 15 patients, we examined the oscillatory correlates of probe-item similarity and homogeneity effects in short-term recognition memory for synthetic faces. Frontal areas show increases in low-frequency oscillations with both probe-item and item-item similarity, whereas temporal lobe areas show distinct oscillatory correlates for probe-item similarity and homogeneity in the gamma band. We discuss these frontal low-frequency effects and the dissociation in the temporal lobe in terms of recent computational models of visual recognition memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Brain Mapping
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiology*
  • Electroencephalography / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory, Short-Term / physiology*
  • Mental Recall / physiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Neurological
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology*
  • Periodicity
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Recognition, Psychology / physiology*
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted