Simple reminders can bring back a host of vivid memories, experimentally epitomised in cued-recall paradigms.
Electrophysiological recordings have elucidated the chronometry with which sensory cues are converted into retrieved memories.
At 500 ms after cue onset, a pattern completion process begins in the hippocampus and triggers the reinstatement of the target memory in the neocortex.
Cortical reinstatement unfolds between 500 and 1500 ms and gives rise to the subjective feeling of recollection.
Reinstatement is governed by intricate temporal dynamics, including the reversal of perceptual processing streams and clocking by theta rhythms.
Episodic memory allows us to mentally travel through time. How does the brain convert a simple reminder cue into a full-blown memory of past events and experiences? In this review, we integrate recent developments in the cognitive neuroscience of human memory retrieval, pinpointing the neural chronometry underlying successful recall. Electrophysiological recordings suggest that sensory cues proceed into the medial temporal lobe within the first 500 ms. At this point, a hippocampal process sets in, geared toward internal pattern completion and coordination of cortical memory reinstatement between 500 and 1500 ms. We further highlight the dynamic principles governing the recall process, which include a reversal of perceptual information flows, temporal compression, and theta clocking.
