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Abstract:
Using EEG, changes in slow cortical potentials were monitored
while participants recalled true memories or fabricated plausible
but false memories. Replicating previous work we found that for
true memories the retrieval phase was marked by strong activation
over the left frontal lobe (especially at electrode F3 over left
prefrontal cortex). As retrieval progressed and close to the point
where a response was made to indicate a memory had been formed
activation began to rise in the right hemisphere. After formation
and while a memory was held in mind strong activation was detected
at bilateral posterior sites and was especially prominent in the
right occipital and posterior temporal lobes. For false memories
this latter pattern of activation was reliably weaker. One
implication is that although false memories were rated as
containing imagery, this imagery is not the same as the
sensory-perceptual details present in autobiographical memories and
associated with activation in posterior networks: suggesting a way
in which true and false memories might be distinguished.
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