Ongoing brain state dynamics shape spontaneous awake reactivation and its relationship with memory
- 1Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research
Abstract
Memory reactivation is thought to support memory consolidation, but how ongoing brain states shape awake reactivation and its relationship to memory remain poorly understood. Here, we asked whether spontaneous hippocampal-cortical reactivation during awake rest is embedded in ongoing brain state dynamics by examining its coupling with whole-brain activity patterns and infra-slow global signal (GS) fluctuations, and whether these dynamics shape its relationship to memory retention. Reactivation preferentially occurred during an internally oriented brain state characterized by default mode network activation and dorsal attention network suppression, as well as states that reinstated encoding-related visual activity. Reactivation also clustered around the peak of infra-slow GS fluctuations and in high GS amplitude time windows, features previously associated with lower arousal. Importantly, the relationship between reactivation and memory depended on the ongoing brain state: distinct whole-brain activity patterns expressed during reactivation were associated with opposing memory outcomes, while reactivation during high GS amplitude windows was positively associated with retention. Together, these findings show that awake memory reactivation is embedded in dynamic whole-brain states that may influence its memory outcome, suggesting that recurring brain states may provide favorable windows for awake memory consolidation.
Related
- Memory encoding begins with spontaneous neural reactivation
- Hippocampal stimulation timed to memory reactivation shapes human sleep oscillatory dynamics and consolidation
- Modulating Sleep Oscillations Through Targeted Memory Reactivation: Linking Functional Dynamics to Brain Microstructure
- Dream incorporation and subsequent memory change after learning and waking reactivation
- Selective Hippocampal Reactivation Driven by Neocortical Feedback Supports Memory Transfer in Predictive-Coding Networks
BibTeX
@misc{kim2026ongoing,
title = {{Ongoing brain state dynamics shape spontaneous awake reactivation and its relationship with memory}},
author = {H.-W. Kim and T. Xu and K.-H. Nenning and A. R. Franco and M. D'Esposito and S. Colcombe and M. Milham and A. Tambini},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.24.754200},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.24.754200v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Ongoing brain state dynamics shape spontaneous awake reactivation and its relationship with memory
AU - H.-W. Kim
AU - T. Xu
AU - K.-H. Nenning
AU - A. R. Franco
AU - M. D'Esposito
AU - S. Colcombe
AU - M. Milham
AU - A. Tambini
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.24.754200
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.24.754200v1
AB - Memory reactivation is thought to support memory consolidation, but how ongoing brain states shape awake reactivation and its relationship to memory remain poorly understood. Here, we asked whether spontaneous hippocampal-cortical reactivation during awake rest is embedded in ongoing brain state dynamics by examining its coupling with whole-brain activity patterns and infra-slow global signal (GS) fluctuations, and whether these dynamics shape its relationship to memory retention. Reactivation preferentially occurred during an internally oriented brain state characterized by default mode network activation and dorsal attention network suppression, as well as states that reinstated encoding-related visual activity. Reactivation also clustered around the peak of infra-slow GS fluctuations and in high GS amplitude time windows, features previously associated with lower arousal. Importantly, the relationship between reactivation and memory depended on the ongoing brain state: distinct whole-brain activity patterns expressed during reactivation were associated with opposing memory outcomes, while reactivation during high GS amplitude windows was positively associated with retention. Together, these findings show that awake memory reactivation is embedded in dynamic whole-brain states that may influence its memory outcome, suggesting that recurring brain states may provide favorable windows for awake memory consolidation.
ER -