Signy Sheldon, PhD
Associate Professor
Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory
Department of Psychology
McGill University
Montreal, QC, CAN
Invited by Bruno Bontempi (INCIA)
Venue: Centre Broca
Title
Exploring the Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying Autobiographical Memory and The Implications for Aging
Abstract
Autobiographical memory retrieval depends on a distributed network of brain regions, spanning the medial prefrontal, parietal, and temporal cortices. Recent neurocognitive models describe how this network is dynamically engaged during retrieval as a function of what details are recalled from a memory. In this talk, I will present three lines of research related to this proposal. First, I will present neuroimaging evidence that there are identifiable subsystems that are engaged for accessing conceptual information or contextual details about an autobiographical memory. Next, I will present evidence that these networks are engaged differently across individuals, as a function of the general strategy used to recall information. Then, I will apply these neuroimaging findings to understand age differences in autobiographical memory retrieval.