Remembering draws on a diverse array of cognitive processes to construct a
representation that is experienced as a copy of the original past. The resu
lts of brain-imaging, neuropsychological and physiological studies indicate
that distinct neocortical regions might interact with medial temporal lobe
structures to reinstate a memory. Frontal regions mediate the strategic re
trieval attempt and monitor its outcome, with dissociated frontal regions m
aking functionally separate contributions to retrieval. Parietal and fronta
l regions might supply a signal that information is old during the process
of retrieval, allowing us to perceive that reconstructed representations ar
e memories, rather than the products of new stimuli in the environment. Dom
ain-specific cortical regions are reactivated during vivid remembering and
contribute to the contents of a memory. Here, we describe how these regions
interact to orchestrate an act of remembering.