Task-invariant networks interfere with and task-specific networks support memory formation: An fMRI meta-analysis

Description: Why do some moments imprint themselves in memory while others vanish without a trace? This meta-analysis uncovers a marked dissociation in the brain’s large-scale networks during memory encoding: networks that impede encoding are largely task-invariant, whereas those that support it are finely tuned to the task at hand. Drawing on fMRI studies using the subsequent memory paradigm, the analysis contrasts neural activity during the encoding of later-remembered versus later-forgotten trials across verbal and pictorial tasks. Leveraging Yeo et al.’s 17-network parcellation and a novel network association metric, the results show that memory-impeding effects consistently recruit the same set of subsystems within the default mode, frontoparietal, and ventral attention networks across different tasks, indicating a shared neural signature of distraction or mind-wandering. In contrast, memory-supporting effects exhibit clear task-dependent divergence: verbal encoding engages language-related networks, while pictorial encoding activates visuo-perceptual systems. This asymmetry suggests that forgetting arises from similar internal mechanisms across contexts, whereas successful encoding depends on precise, context-sensitive neural engagement. These findings highlight the dynamic interplay between memory and attention and provide a network-level perspective on how the brain toggles between remembering and forgetting.