# Sensory Reinstatement in Human Neocortex

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $406,250

## Abstract

Episodic memory involves consciously remembering past events often with an impressive degree of perceptual
detail. How is the brain able to recreate prior perceptual states without the necessary sensory inputs? A long-
held view is that consciously remembering a stimulus requires reactivation of activity patterns associated with
the perception of that stimulus. This process of neocortical `sensory reinstatement' is thought to be dependent
on the hippocampus, a region critical for episodic memory. Consequently, there has been an overwhelming
empirical focus on studying reinstatement activities within the hippocampus. However, if sensory reinstatement
in neocortex is a critical part of episodic memory retrieval, it must be empirically shown to be a spatially and
temporally precise recapitulation of sensory processing, and to causally contribute to memory behavior. To
date, the best evidence of sensory reinstatement in human neocortex has come from neuroimaging studies
reporting spatial overlap or similarity of brain responses for perceiving and retrieving stimuli. While informative,
such data: i) do not consistently show overlap in expected sensory cortices; ii) cannot measure the
reinstatement of temporal response features; iii) are correlational in nature. To address these limitations and
provide critical data on sensory reinstatement in human neocortex we will use intracranial recording and
stimulation to study the precise anatomical (Aim 1), temporal (Aim 2) and causal (Aim 3) properties of visual
reinstatement. Human electrocorticography (ECoG) provides the needed spatial and temporal precision for
capturing and perturbing neural population activity at spatio-temporal scales undetectable with non-invasive
methods. In Aim 1, we will use high-density ECoG recordings to quantify the spatial precision of reinstatement
dynamics in higher order visual cortices, and quantify how stimulus selectivity relates to stimulus
reinstatement. In Aim 2, we will test the temporal precision of reinstatement dynamics by inducing and
manipulating oscillatory activities in primary visual cortex to test the fidelity of their reinstatement during
retrieval. In Aim 3, we will use targeted electrical brain stimulation to test the causal role of sensory
reinstatement in neocortex. Together, the Aims of this proposal will direct needed empirical attention towards
the neural properties of neocortical reinstatement and causally test its role in human episodic memory retrieval.
These advances will help elucidate how reinstatement like processes are exacerbated for conditions involving
the intrusion of vivid mental content like post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440028
- **Project number:** 7R01MH116914-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Brett Foster
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $406,250
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2018-08-14 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440028

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440028, Sensory Reinstatement in Human Neocortex (7R01MH116914-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440028. Licensed CC0.

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