Di. Donaldson et al., Dissociating memory retrieval processes using fMRI: Evidence that priming does not support recognition memory, NEURON, 31(6), 2001, pp. 1047-1059
We employed event-related fMRI to constrain cognitive accounts of memory re
trieval. Studies of explicit retrieval reveal that lateral and medial parie
tal, dorsal middle frontal gyrus, and anterior prefrontal cortex respond mo
re for studied than new words, reflecting a correlate of "retrieval success
." Studies of implicit memory suggest left temporal cortex, ventral and dor
sal inferior frontal gyrus respond less for studied than new words, reflect
ing a correlate of "conceptual priming." In the present study, responses fo
r old and new items were compared during performance on explicit recognitio
n (old/new judgement) and semantic (abstract/concrete judgement) tasks. Reg
ions associated with priming were only modulated during the semantic task,
whereas regions associated with retrieval success were modulated during bot
h tasks. These findings constrain functional-anatomic accounts of the netwo
rks, suggesting that processes associated with priming do not support expli
cit recognition judgments.