Imaging the Networks of Encoding, Consolidation, and Retrieval
In this chapter, the authors examine the contributions of the functional neuroimaging literature to the specification of the neuronal networks of the mnemonic operations of encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. Although the most basic expectation regarding the involvement of parts of the medial temporal lobes, such as the hippocampus, in these operations was not consistently supported by the results of the neuroimaging studies reviewed, other expectations, such as the material-specific lateralization of activation were adequately supported. The several reasons that account for the limited contributions of neuroimaging to the neurophysiology of memory thus far, ranging from constraints imposed by the nature of the mnemonic operations (e.g., the fact that encoding and retrieval occur in tandem) to practical ones (e.g., difficulties in studying spontaneous retrieval), are outlined.