The dynamics of episodic recall

Abstract

The mechanistic understanding of memory recall, a process long known to be influenced by environmental context, has posed a persistent challenge to neuron-centric models. In this study, we approached recall by shifting the focus from internal neuronal representations to brain-environment interactions, employing precise tracking of gaze dynamics within a well-controlled virtual reality (VR) setting. We found that each verbal report of recalled event was consistently preceded by a gradual process of brain-environment coupling: fixational pauses became progressively longer, while gaze direction slowly converged on a specific spatial location associated with the memorized object--a recall-specific location (RSL). Upon the initiation of the verbal report, gaze rapidly diverged from the RSL. Chunked verbal reports were associated with convergence onto shared or spatially clustered RSLs. Moreover, when recall occurred in the same spatial context as encoding, participants recalled objects in the order they were encountered and RSLs were more correlated with gaze locations during encoding. These findings reveal a direct mechanistic dependence of memory recall on the environment and support the view that the environment is not merely a context for memory, but an integral component of the memory itself.