Work

Shared spectral fingerprints of temporal memory precision and representation of the temporal structure of complex narratives

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The ability to date events is fundamental to episodic memory. Separate lines of fMRI research have explored the neurobiological mechanisms underlying temporal precision and the representation of temporal structure in complex events. The present EEG study examined the oscillatory dynamics of both processes in participants performing a timeline positioning task with movie scenes. Multivariate analyses identified a high-beta/low-gamma electrophysiological signature of temporal precision during timeline presentation, involving a right-lateralized network. An independent representation similarity analysis revealed a strong coupling between behavioral and neural distance between pairs of movie parts in the same time-frequency band as the precision effect. Crucially, participants with higher temporal precision showed a stronger correlation between behavioral and neural distance, reinforcing the link between brain signals related to precision and temporal structure representation. These findings support the idea of a systematic temporal organization of experiences, which plays a role in guiding inferential processes.

Source: iScience

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112132

Authors: Matteo Frisoni, Pierpaolo Croce, Annalisa Tosoni, Filippo Zappasodi, Carlo Sestieri

Institutions: University of Chieti-Pescara, University of Bologna

Language: English

Topic: Memory Processes and Influences

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,240

Funders: Dipartimenti di Eccellenza, European Commission, Fundação Bial, Università degli Studi G. d'Annunzio Chieti - Pescara