The influence of working memory processes on the selective retrieval of episodic memory contents

从情景记忆中提取信息涉及到在编码过程中激活的感觉皮层表征的重新激活。这种机制被称为记忆，是有意识回忆经验的重要先决条件。以前的研究与神经成像技术，如脑电图（EEG）已经表明，感觉记忆内容的编码阶段是皮质恢复的前200毫秒的线索为基础的检索。这支持了很大程度上是自动且无意识的听觉过程的理论。在此基础上，它是调查在何种程度上皮层恢复情景记忆提取是在认知或“自上而下”的控制。这些研究的关键是工作记忆的概念，它使感官信息的主动短期存储和对激活的记忆内容的认知控制成为可能。工作记忆内容的存储和认知操作，就像从情景记忆中提取信息一样，需要激活参与编码相应信息的感觉区域。因此，这两种记忆过程要么在感觉皮层区域以类似的方式实现，要么基于相同的机制。因此，计划项目的前两个实验将研究工作记忆在从情景记忆中提取信息中的作用。这将在实验的基础上进行研究，在这些实验中，测试参与者应该记住某些物体及其位置，以便以后检索。在编码阶段，对象在工作记忆中被认知操纵。通过比较（振荡）脑电图模式之间的编码和检索阶段，它将被检查是否情节记忆检索涉及早期再激活的纯粹的感觉表征或更高级别的工作记忆表征。实验三和实验四将考察记忆提取过程中的刺激信息在多大程度上受到注意控制的影响。在对视觉对象和空间位置之间的关联进行编码之后，这些将基于视觉线索被选择性地遗忘或记住。这需要一个工作记忆水平的控制过程。这个过程的时间特性可以通过EEG进行分析，基于神经振荡的测量和多变量解码技术。

The retrieval of information from episodic memory involves the reactivation of sensory cortical representations that were active during encoding. This mechanism is called ecphory and is an important prerequisite for a conscious recollective experience. Previous studies with neuroimaging techniques such as the electroencephalogram (EEG) have shown that sensory memory content from the encoding phase is cortically reinstated in the first 200 ms of cue-based retrieval. This supports the theory of a largely automatic and unconscious ecphory process. On this basis, it is investigated to what extent cortical reinstatement during episodic memory retrieval is under cognitive or 'top-down' control. Essential for these investigations is the concept of working memory, which enables active short-term storage of sensory information and cognitive control over activated memory contents. The storage and cognitive manipulation of working memory content, like the retrieval of information from episodic memory, entails the activation of the sensory areas involved in encoding of the respective information. Both memory processes are therefore either implemented in a comparable way in sensory cortical areas, or they are based on the same mechanism. The first two experiments of the planned project will therefore investigate the role of working memory in retrieving information from episodic memory. This will be investigated on the basis of experiments in which test participants should memorize certain objects and their position for later retrieval. During the encoding phase, the objects are to be cognitively manipulated within working memory. By comparing the (oscillatory) EEG patterns between the encoding and retrieval phases, it will be examined whether episodic memory retrieval involves the early reactivation of either purely sensory representations or higher-level working memory representations. The third and fourth experiments will investigate the extent to which ecphoric information during memory retrieval is subject to attentional control. After encoding associations between visual objects and spatial positions, these are to be selectively forgotten or remembered based on visual cues. This should require a control process on working memory level. The temporal characteristics of this process can be analyzed by means of the EEG, based on both the measurement of neural oscillations and multivariate decoding techniques.