Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Monitoring the Mind: The Neurocognitive Correlates of Metamemory

Do Lam, ATA; Axmacher, N; Fell, J; Staresina, BP; Gauggel, S; Wagner, T; Olligs, J; Weis, S

Monitoring the Mind: The Neurocognitive Correlates of Metamemory Thumbnail


Authors

ATA Do Lam

N Axmacher

J Fell

BP Staresina

S Gauggel

T Wagner

J Olligs

S Weis



Abstract

Memory performance in everyday life is often far from perfect and therefore needs to be monitored and controlled by metamemory evaluations, such as judgments of learning (JOLs). JOLs support monitoring for goal-directed modification of learning. Behavioral studies suggested retrieval processes as providing a basis for JOLs. Previous functional imaging research on JOLs found a dissociation between processes underlying memory prediction, located in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and actual encoding success, located in the medial temporal lobe. However, JOL-specific neural correlates could not be identified unequivocally, since JOLs were given simultaneously with encoding. Here, we aimed to identify the neurocognitive basis of JOLs, i.e., the cognitive processes and neural correlates of JOL, separate from initial encoding. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we implemented a face-name paired associative design. In general, we found that actual memory success was associated with increased brain activation of the hippocampi bilaterally, whereas predicted memory success was accompanied by increased activation in mPFC, orbital frontal and anterior cingulate cortices. Masking brain activation during predicted memory success with activation during retrieval success revealed BOLD increases of the mPFC. Our findings indicate that JOLs actually incorporate retrieval processes.

Citation

Do Lam, A., Axmacher, N., Fell, J., Staresina, B., Gauggel, S., Wagner, T., …Weis, S. (2012). Monitoring the Mind: The Neurocognitive Correlates of Metamemory. PLoS ONE, 7(1), Article e30009. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0030009

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jan 1, 2012
Deposit Date Feb 22, 2012
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal PLoS ONE
Publisher Public Library of Science
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 7
Issue 1
Article Number e30009
DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0030009

Files

Published Journal Article (658 Kb)
PDF

Copyright Statement
Copyright: © 2012 Do Lam et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations