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Graduate Student Award Winner 

Independent and Joint Contributions of Mind-Wandering and Reactivation to Memory Consolidation

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom
Also presenting in Data Blitz Session 1 - Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm PST, Salon ABC.

Devayani Joshi¹ (), Aaron Kucyi¹, Tiara Bounyarith¹, Lotus Shareef-Trudeau¹, Alexa Tompary¹; ¹Drexel University

Mind-wandering is often associated with impaired memory, but the potential benefits of mind-wandering when it occurs after learning are not well understood. Quiet rest after learning supports memory consolidation and provides an ideal environment for mind-wandering, but to date, it is unclear if and how the neural processes that underlie mind-wandering interact with those that support memory consolidation. Across two studies, we track neural signatures of each process on a moment-by-moment basis using an experience sampling approach. In Experiment 1, 39 participants learned object-scene associations before spending 40 minutes resting awake in an fMRI scanner. During rest, they reported mind-wandering levels through experience sampling every minute. Memory tests were administered immediately after the rest and after a 24-hour delay. Participants who reported more mind wandering after learning exhibited better memory performance. Multivoxel pattern analysis revealed that spontaneous memory reactivation in the hippocampus, as well as co-reactivation with cortex, increased after learning. Interestingly, greater reactivation was linked to better immediate memory but poorer delayed memory, suggesting a tradeoff over time. Furthermore, mind-wandering in the 10-second window preceding experience-sampling probes was associated with elevated activity across the default mode network. We will also present preliminary findings from Experiment 2, an ongoing study examining the real-time connection between mind-wandering and hippocampal reactivation using a closed-loop fMRI design in which thought probes are triggered when a reactivation event is detected. Together, these experiments aim to directly link spontaneous reactivation with the subjective experience of thought, offering insights into how spontaneous cognition shapes memory consolidation.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Episodic