Prestimulus Neural Oscillations and their Haemodynamic Correlates Elucidate the Cognitive and Neural Processes of Memory Formation

Here I review recent functional neuroimaging data from colleagues and myself addressing the cognitive and neural basis of memory formation (encoding) in healthy human research participants using both electrophysiological and haemodynamic measurements. The data indicate an important role for prestimulus oscillations in memory encoding both in relation to later conscious episodic recollection and in relation to later perceptual-lexical repetition priming. These findings advance theoretical understanding of memory formation at both cognitive and neural theoretical levels and suggest new avenues for the use of functional neuroimaging in understanding deficits in conscious episodic recollection and repetition priming in neurological and psychiatric patient populations with memory disorders.