Task-invariant networks interfere with and task-specific networks support memory formation: An fMRI meta-analysis.
Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) – January 01, 2026
Source: PubMed
Summary
Why do some experiences form lasting episodic memories while others fade? A meta-analysis of 56 fMRI studies reveals a striking pattern: brain networks impairing memory encoding are consistent across tasks, linked to distraction or mind-wandering. These intrinsic networks, like the default mode, are recruited when memories fail to form. Conversely, successful encoding relies on task-specific brain engagement; verbal information activates language systems, while pictures engage visual areas. This suggests forgetting stems from general attentional lapses, but remembering requires precise, context-sensitive neural activity.
Abstract
Why do some moments imprint themselves in memory while others vanish without a trace? This meta-analysis identifies a dissociation in large-scale brain networks during encoding: networks associated with impairing encoding are task-invariant, whereas those supporting it are task-specific. Drawing on 56 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies employing the subsequent memory paradigm, the analysis contrasted neural activity for later-remembered versus later-forgotten trials across verbal and pictorial tasks. Using Yeo et al.'s 17-network parcellation, the results show that encoding-impairing effects consistently recruit specific subsystems within the default mode, frontoparietal, and ventral attention networks-a pattern consistent with distraction or mind-wandering. Conversely, encoding-supporting effects diverge by task: verbal encoding engages language-related networks, whereas pictorial encoding activates visuo-perceptual systems. This asymmetry suggests that encoding failure may arise from similar attentional lapses across contexts, whereas successful encoding requires precise, context-sensitive neural engagement. Taken together, these findings provide a network-level perspective on how the brain shifts between states conducive to remembering and states conducive to forgetting.