RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 How we transmit memories to other brains: constructing shared neural representations via communication JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 081208 DO 10.1101/081208 A1 A. Zadbood A1 J. Chen A1 Y.C. Leong A1 K.A. Norman A1 U. Hasson YR 2017 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/01/30/081208.abstract AB Humans are able to mentally construct an episode when listening to another person’s recollection, even though they themselves did not experience the events. However, it is unknown how strongly the neural patterns elicited by mental construction resemble those found in the brain of the individual who experienced the original events. Using fMRI and a verbal communication task, we traced how neural patterns associated with viewing specific scenes in a movie are encoded, recalled, and then transferred to a group of naïve listeners. By comparing neural patterns across the three conditions, we report, for the first time, that event-specific neural patterns observed in the default mode network are shared across the encoding, recall, and construction of the same real-life episode. This study uncovers the intimate correspondences between memory encoding and event construction, and highlights the essential role our common language plays in the process of transmitting one's memories to other brains.