Specific role of medial prefrontal cortex in retrieving recent autobiographical memories: An fMRI study of young female subjects

Episodic-autobiographical memory (AM) is characterized by self-conscious reflection, emotional connotation and mental time travel. Semantic memory (SM) contains context and emotion free general knowledge. The present study specifically aimed at exploring the effect of time on the neural substrates of autobiographical and semantic memory retrieval by studying memories from different life periods in young female participants using functional brain imaging. Recent compared to early childhood events activated retrosplenial cortex. More importantly, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) was specifically engaged in the retrieval of recent AMs. The data show time-modulated neural substrates during recent and remote memories in women and suggest that a specific MPFC activation underlies the autonoetic, emotional and self-related character of recent AMs.