A neural state space for episodic memories
Systems consolidation theories predict that the retrieval of a memory is initially hippocampus dependent but, over time, is supported by the neocortex, and that retrieval becomes less episodically specific during this process.
Research suggests that memories are more dynamic than these theories predict: the time course of the contributions made by the hippocampus and neocortex are highly flexible and mechanistically independent.
Episodic memories can be located in a 3D state space: reinstatement is driven by two independent mechanisms (Dimensions 1 and 2) and can be highly specific or more gist-like (Dimension 3).
Episodic memories can occupy any location in this state space and move to any other location.
The episodic memory state space captures the dynamic and flexible nature of episodic memory over time and highlights currently underexplored memory states.
https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(25)00284-0
