What can narratives tell us about the neural bases of human memory?

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.02.007
• Publication Date: 2020-04-20T03:02:29Z
• Authors: Hongmi Lee; Buddhika Bellana; Janice Chen
• Keywords: Human memory; Stimulus (psychology); Mode (computer interface)

Narratives are increasingly used to study naturalistic human memory and its brain mechanisms. Narratives—audiovisual movies, spoken stories, and written stories—consist of multiple inter-related and temporally unfolding events which are rich in semantic and emotional content. These characteristics drive intersubject neural synchrony in the default mode network, where abstract situation models are represented and reinstated. Medial temporal lobe structures interact with the cortical sub-regions of the default mode network to support the encoding and recall of narrative events. Narrative memories are frequently communicated across individuals, resulting in the transmission of experiences and neural activity patterns between people. Recent advances in neuroimaging and naturalistic stimulus analysis provide valuable insights into narrative memory and the human memory system in general.