Episodic memory in aspects of brain information transfer by resting-state network topology

Studies suggest that resting-state functional connectivity conveys cognitive information; also, activity flow mediates cognitive information transfer. However, the exact mechanism of interregional interactions underlying episodic memory remains unclear. We performed a combined analysis of task-evoked activity and resting-state functional connectivity by activity flow mapping to estimate the information transfer mechanism of episodic memory. We found that the cognitive control and attentional networks were the most recruited structures in information transfers during both encoding and retrieval processes; these networks were correlated with task-evoked activation. Differences in information transfer intensity between encoding and retrieval mainly existed in the visual, somatomotor and hippocampal systems. Furthermore, information transfer showed high predictive power for episodic memory ability and mediated relationships between task-evoked activation and memory performance. Additional analysis indicated that structural connectivity had a transportive role in information transfer. Finally, our study presented the information transfer mechanism of episodic memory from multiple neural perspectives.