Evaluating the role of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on recognition memory with rTMS: evidence from healthy subjects and neurological patients

Converging evidence from functional imaging and lesion studies suggested that a distributed neural network comprising the hippocampal formation, medial and lateral parietal regions as well as the prefrontal cortex is involved in episodic memory. Some findings suggested that successful memory formation requires the coordinated modulation of neural activity among these different cortical areas. It appears particularly important to understand the functional interactions between these regions during memory processes. My talk will be focused on the prefrontal contribution to verbal and non-verbal recognition memory and to familiarity and recollection processes. New evidence will be provided and discussed from repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) application over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), suggesting that this region has a degree of functional specialisation and plays an important role in the encoding of verbal and non-verbal memoranda. We will also report an enhancement of recognition memory performance with rTMS at retrieval. We will discuss possible account of these findings within a broader framework of the inhibitory nature of functional interactions between the DLPFC and the medial temporal lobe during memory processes.