Reduced theta-gamma coupling during real-world episodic encoding
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Episodic memories are rarely formed under the controlled, simplified conditions typical of laboratory research. They are built from continuous, embodied experiences unfolding in real time and real space. We examined how theta-gamma phase amplitude coupling (PAC), a candidate neural signature of encoding demand, differs when an experience is encountered in a live setting rather than an approximately matched screen-based version. 62 healthy young adults encoded an identical narrative vignette, presented either as a live theatrical performance or as a two-dimensional (2D) video recording, while high-density EEG was recorded. Coupling between frontal theta and parietal gamma activity was computed during encoding as an index of this cross-frequency coordination, and free-recall memory was assessed immediately after. Real-world encoding was associated with significantly lower frontal theta to parietal gamma PAC than 2D encoding, even though recall performance did not differ between conditions. PAC positively predicted recall only in the 2D condition, with no equivalent relationship emerging for Real-world encoding. In the Real-world condition, PAC was negatively correlated with general cognitive ability, suggesting that higher cognitive functioning requires less cross-frequency coordination during naturalistic encoding. Together, these findings position theta-gamma PAC as a compensatory neural mechanism, recruited more heavily when the encoding environment provides less external structure. This suggests that real-world experiences may place a lighter coordination burden on the encoding brain, consistent with a compensatory account of theta-gamma PAC.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212144786