Distinct neural mechanisms underlie subjective and objective recollection and guide memory-based decision making

Accurate memories are often associated with vivid experiences of recollection. However, the neural mechanisms underlying subjective recollection and their unique role in decision making beyond accuracy have received limited attention. We dissociated subjective recollection from accuracy during a forced-choice task. Distractors corresponded either to non-studied exemplars of the targets (A-A’ condition) or to non-studied exemplars of different studied items (A-B’ condition). The A-A’ condition resulted in higher accuracy and greater activation in the superior parietal lobe, whereas the A-B’ condition resulted in higher subjective recollection and greater activation in the precuneus and retrosplenial regions, indicating a dissociation between objective and subjective memory. Activation in insular, cingulate, and lateral prefrontal regions was also associated with subjective recollection; however, during a subsequent decision phase, activation in these same regions was greater for discarded than for selected responses in anticipation of a social reward, underscoring their role in evaluating memory evidence flexibly based on current goals.

Congruence Effects on the Effectiveness of Sponsorship of Sport Event Websites: An Experimental Approach

Emerging online marketing strategies are an opportunity for the sport sponsorship industry as a way of complementing traditional methods. However, in-depth attention has not been given to the study of congruence effects on the effectiveness of sponsorship of sport event websites, and specifically to study the role and effects of sponsor logos. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the congruence effect of sponsor brands featured on the website of a sports event on sponsorship effectiveness in visual, attitude-related and behavioural terms, using an eye-tracker to monitor memory activation and changes in attitudes and intentions. In study 1, the role of congruence on website sponsorship was analysed, using real brands sponsoring the ninth edition of the “Mallorca 312” Cycletourist Tour (42 participants). In study 2, the congruence of fictitious brands was analysed on the effects of website sponsorship of the 37th edition of the MAPFRE (competitions brand name) Copa del Rey regatta (101 participants). Congruence is preferable to incongruence in sponsor brands, except when the sponsorship aims to boost a recall of new market brands. The results validate the importance of managing congruence levels in the online sponsorship of sports events due to the influence on sponsorship effectiveness and its impact on cognitive processing.

Coordinated activities of retrosplenial ensembles during resting-state encode spatial landmarks

The brain likely uses offline periods to consolidate recent memories. One hypothesis holds that the hippocampal output provides a unique, global linking or ‘index’ code for each memory, and that this code is stored in the cortex in association with locally encoded attributes of each memory. Activation of the index code is hypothesized to evoke coordinated memory trace reactivation thus facilitating consolidation. Retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a major recipient of hippocampal outflow and we have described populations of neurons there with sparse and orthogonal coding characteristics that resemble hippocampal ‘place’ cells, and whose expression depends on an intact hippocampus. Using two-photon Ca 2+ imaging, we recorded ensembles of neurons in the RSC during periods of immobility before and after active running on a familiar linear treadmill track. Synchronous bursting of distinct groups of neurons occurred during rest both prior to and after running. In the second rest epoch, these patterns were associated with the locations of tactile landmarks and reward. Complementing established views on the functions of the RSC, our findings indicate that the structure is involved with processing landmark information during rest. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ‘Memory reactivation: replaying events past, present and future’.

Greater Semantic Memory Activation After Exercise Training Cessation in Older Endurance-Trained Athletes

Purpose: To examine the effects of a 10-day exercise-training cessation on semantic memory functional activation in older distance runners. Methods: Ten master runners (62.6 ± 7.0 years) with a long-term endurance-training history (29.0 ± 6.0 years) underwent a 10-day training cessation. Before and immediately after the training cessation, semantic memory activation was measured during the famous name recognition task, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: The 10-day training cessation resulted in greater semantic memory activation in three brain regions, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and inferior semilunar lobule. The 10-day training cessation did not significantly alter famous name recognition task performance. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that even a relatively short period without exercise training alters the functional activation patterns of semantic memory–related neural networks. Increased semantic memory activation after training cessation may indicate reduced neural efficiency during successful memory retrieval.