Recollection and Familiarity Reflect a Common Neural Continuum within the Default Mode and Frontoparietal Networks: An fMRI Meta-Analysis

Description: Recollection and familiarity are fundamental components of episodic memory, yet their large-scale neural organization remains debated. Traditionally, the default mode network (DMN) has been linked to recollection and the frontoparietal network (FPN) to familiarity. This meta-analysis re-examined that distinction using activation likelihood estimation across 48 fMRI experiments. Analyses focused on graded familiarity (parametric contrasts) and its comparison with binary familiarity (Know > New) and recollection (Remember > New). Graded familiarity engaged both the DMN and FPN, showing greater DMN involvement than binary familiarity, which recruited the FPN more selectively. In contrast, graded familiarity and recollection exhibited extensive overlap across both networks, supporting a unitary account in which they differ in degree rather than kind of network engagement. Subnetwork analyses revealed consistent activation across all FPN subdivisions and the core DMN-A subsystem. These findings suggest that recollection and familiarity represent graded expressions of integrated DMN–FPN dynamics modulated by memory strength and control demands, offering a unified network-level framework for understanding episodic memory retrieval.