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Associations between encoding-related neural selectivity and retrieval-related reinstatement are robust and age-independent.

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Ambereen Kidwai¹ (), Marianne de Chastelaine¹, Sarah Monier¹, Michael D. Rugg¹; ¹University of Texas at Dallas

We employed multivoxel pattern similarity analysis to examine category-selective neural pattern similarity at encoding, and categorical retrieval-related reinstatement, in healthy younger (18 – 29 years, n = 40) and middle-aged (44 – 56 years, n = 40) adults. Participants underwent fMRI while encoding word-image pairs (faces or scenes), followed by a memory test requiring old/new and source memory decisions (face, scene, “Don’t Know”). Univariate analyses identified two scene- (Parahippocampal Place Area, Medial Place Area) and one face-selective (Medial Face Area) regions-of-interest (ROI). Encoding-related selectivity for each ROI was operationalized as the difference between within- and between-category trial-wise correlations. Reinstatement was operationalized by the difference in similarity between a study trial and test trials of the same versus the alternate image category, restricted to Source Correct trials. Younger adults outperformed the middle-aged adults for both item and source memory. Selectivity at encoding was robust and age-invariant in all ROIs. Reinstatement effects differed by age: younger adults demonstrated reinstatement in scene-selective regions, whereas middle-aged adults exhibited reinstatement in both scene and face-selective regions. Encoding-related selectivity and reinstatement metrics were robustly correlated in all ROIs, both within-category and across-category. Across groups, reinstatement indices were positively associated with source memory accuracy. The robust age-invariant associations between metrics of encoding selectivity and reinstatement replicate prior findings. They underscore the importance of the quality of neural representations at encoding for high-fidelity retrieval, consistent with the ‘Garbage-In, Garbage-out’ principle. These findings highlight both the shared and age-specific neural mechanisms supporting episodic memory.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Episodic