The neural dynamics of individual differences in episodic autobiographical memory

The ability to mentally travel to specific events from one’s past, dubbed episodic autobiographical memory (E-AM), contributes to adaptive functioning. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underlying its typical interindividual variation remain poorly understood. To address this issue, we capitalize on existing evidence that successful performance on E-AM tasks draws on the ability to visualize past episodes and reinstate their unique spatiotemporal context. Hence, here, we test whether features of the brain’s functional architecture relevant to perceptual versus conceptual processes shape individual differences in both self-rated E-AM and laboratory-based episodic memory for random visual scene sequences (visual EM). We propose that superior subjective E-AM and visual EM are associated with greater similarity in static neural organization patterns, potentially indicating greater efficiency in switching, between rest and mental states relevant to encoding perceptual information. Complementarily, we postulate that impoverished subjective E-AM and visual EM are linked to dynamic brain organization patterns implying a predisposition towards semanticizing novel perceptual information. Analyses were conducted on resting state and task-based fMRI data from 329 participants (160 women) in the Human Connectome Project who completed visual and verbal EM assessments, and an independent gender diverse sample (N = 59) who self-rated their E-AM. Interindividual differences in subjective E-AM were linked to the same neural mechanisms underlying visual, but not verbal, EM, in general agreement with the hypothesized static and dynamic brain organization patterns. Our results suggest that higher E-AM entails more efficient processing of temporally extended information sequences, whereas lower E-AM entails more efficient semantic or gist-based processing. Significance Statement The ability to revisit specific events from one’s past is key to identity formation and optimal interpersonal functioning. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underlying its typical interindividual variation are yet to be fully characterized. Here, we provide novel evidence that, among younger adults, dispositional variations in subjective mental time travel draw on the same dynamic and static features of the brain’s architecture that are uniquely implicated in memory for spatiotemporal contexts. Specifically, the subjective sense of being able to revisit one’s past relates to neural mechanisms supporting serial mental operations, whereas difficulties in accessing past experiences may be traced back to a predisposition towards gist-based processing of incoming information