How does spontaneous activity contribute to information processing?
A recent, remarkable observation is that a great deal of structured brain activity persists at rest, independent of immediate task goals. We are actively exploring whether spontaneous structured activity events contribute to consolidation of recent experiences and/or mental simulation of past and future events. One function of spontaneous activity, which persists during sleep and unconscious states, may be to replay recent activity patterns to consolidate them into brain networks. Another function might be to consider future possibilities — through guided mind wandering — to use downtime to explore possible future events before they happen. Why do individuals differ in their memory and cognitive abilities? Advances in imaging technology and emerging genomic information make possible the mechanistic understanding of why abilities and cognitive styles differ among people. We are exploring this issue by studying individual differences at functional-anatomic levels of analysis in relation
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