Electrophysiological dynamics of salience, default mode, and frontoparietal networks during episodic memory formation and recall revealed through multi-experiment iEEG replication

Dynamic interactions between large-scale brain networks underpin human cognitive processes, but their electrophysiological mechanisms remain elusive. The triple network model, encompassing the salience network (SN), default mode network (DMN), and frontoparietal network (FPN), provides a framework for understanding these interactions. We analyzed intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) recordings from 177 participants across four diverse episodic memory experiments, each involving encoding as well as recall phases. Phase transfer entropy analysis revealed consistently higher directed information flow from the anterior insula (AI), a key SN node, to both DMN and FPN nodes. This directed influence was significantly stronger during memory tasks compared to resting state, highlighting the AI’s task-specific role in coordinating large-scale network interactions. This pattern persisted across externally driven memory encoding and internally governed free recall. Control analyses using the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) showed an inverse pattern, with DMN and FPN exerting higher influence on IFG, underscoring the AI’s unique role. We observed task-specific suppression of high-gamma power in the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus node of the DMN during memory encoding, but not recall. Crucially, these results were replicated across all four experiments spanning verbal and spatial memory domains with high Bayes replication factors. Our findings advance understanding of how coordinated neural network interactions support memory processes, highlighting the AI’s critical role in orchestrating large-scale brain network dynamics during both memory encoding and retrieval. By elucidating the electrophysiological basis of triple network interactions in episodic memory, our study provides insights into neural circuit dynamics underlying memory function and offer a framework for investigating network disruptions in memory-related disorders.