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Cited by 129Memory and Neural MechanismsMemory Processes and InfluencesCognitive Functions and Memory

Neurons detect cognitive boundaries to structure episodic memories in humans

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Zheng, Jie, Schjetnan, Andrea G. P., Yebra, Mar, Gomes, Bernard A., Mosher, Clayton P., Kalia, Suneil K., Valiante, Taufik A., Mamelak, Adam N. +2 more·2022·Nature Neuroscience
DOI 10.1038/s41593-022-01020-wPMC PMC8966433

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Abstract

While experience is continuous, memories are organized as discrete events. Cognitive boundaries are thought to segment experience and structure memory, but how this process is implemented remains unclear. We recorded the activity of single neurons in the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) during the formation and retrieval of memories with complex narratives. Here, we show that neurons responded to abstract cognitive boundaries between different episodes. Boundary-induced neural state changes during encoding predicted subsequent recognition accuracy but impaired event order memory, mirroring a fundamental behavioral tradeoff between content and time memory. Furthermore, the neural state following boundaries was reinstated during both successful retrieval and false memories. These findings reveal a neuronal substrate for detecting cognitive boundaries that transform experience into mnemonic episodes and structure mental time travel during retrieval.

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  • At event boundaries, activity in the prefrontal cortex intensifies, hippocampal activation increases, and interactions between hippocampus and PFC facilitate memory formation.

    “At such transitions, activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) intensifies, hippocampal activation increases, and interactions between the hippocampus and PFC, collectively facilitating memory formation [35, 55].”

    From HingeMem: Boundary Guided Long-Term Memory with Query Adaptive Retrieval for Scalable Dialogues (2026) · cites this paper as [55]

    The Results (medial temporal lobe neurons) and Discussion report boundary-related responses, including event cells most common in the hippocampus; the Results (memory strength) link boundary- and event-cell responses to later memory performance. The paper does not establish intensified PFC activity or hippocampus–PFC interactions that facilitate memory formation. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Zheng, J., Schjetnan, A. G. P., Yebra, M., Gomes, B. A., Mosher, C. P., Kalia, S. K., Valiante, T. A., Mamelak, A. N., Kreiman, G., & Rutishauser, U.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (US)
  • University Health Network (CA)
  • California Institute of Technology (US)
Corresponding author
  • Kreiman, Gabriel
  • Rutishauser, Ueli
ORCID
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-03
Volume
25
Issue
3
Pages
358-368
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
DOI
10.1038/s41593-022-01020-w
PMC
PMC8966433
OpenAlex
W4220798402
Cited by
129
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 3
FWCI
14.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (U01NS103792)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
cognitive boundaries, episodic memory, memory segmentation, single-unit recording, narrative memory, memory encoding, memory retrieval, recognition memory, false memory, mental time travel
MeSH terms
Cognition, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Memory Disorders, Neurons, Mental Recall, Temporal Lobe, Memory, Episodic

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