title: Prestimulus default mode activity influences depth of processing and recognition in an emotional memory task.
abstract: Low self-referential thoughts are associated with better concentration, which leads to deeper encoding and increases learning and subsequent retrieval. There is evidence that being engaged in externally rather than internally focused tasks is related to low neural activity in the default mode network (DMN) promoting open mind and the deep elaboration of new information. Thus, reduced DMN activity should lead to enhanced concentration, comprehensive stimulus evaluation including emotional categorization, deeper stimulus processing, and better long-term retention over one whole week. In this fMRI study, we investigated brain activation preceding and during incidental encoding of emotional pictures and on subsequent recognition performance. During fMRI, 24 subjects were exposed to 80 pictures of different emotional valence and subsequently asked to complete an online recognition task one week later. Results indicate that neural activity within the medial temporal lobes during encoding predicts subsequent memory performance. Moreover, a low activity of the default mode network preceding incidental encoding leads to slightly better recognition performance independent of the emotional perception of a picture. The findings indicate that the suppression of internally-oriented thoughts leads to a more comprehensive and thorough evaluation of a stimulus and its emotional valence. Reduced activation of the DMN prior to stimulus onset is associated with deeper encoding and enhanced consolidation and retrieval performance even one week later. Even small prestimulus lapses of attention influence consolidation and subsequent recognition performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Bern, 3000, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Leila M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Soravia
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Bern, 3000, Switzerland.|Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.|Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Joëlle S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Witmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Bern, 3000, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, the University of Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakataki
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Bern, 3000, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dierks
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 4, Bern, 3010, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wiest
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.|Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Henke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Bern, 3000, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Federspiel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Bern, 3000, Switzerland.|Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D013995:Time; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: DMN; encoding; fMRI; memory; pre-stimulus activity