Shared spectral fingerprints of temporal memory precision and representation of the temporal structure of complex narratives

The ability to date events is fundamental to episodic memory. Separate lines of fMRI research have explored the neurobiological mechanisms underlying temporal precision and the representation of temporal structure in complex events. The present EEG study examined the oscillatory dynamics of both processes in participants performing a timeline positioning task with movie scenes. Multivariate analyses identified a high-beta/low-gamma electrophysiological signature of temporal precision during timeline presentation, involving a right-lateralized network. An independent representation similarity analysis revealed a strong coupling between behavioral and neural distance between pairs of movie parts in the same time-frequency band as the precision effect. Crucially, participants with higher temporal precision showed a stronger correlation between behavioral and neural distance, reinforcing the link between brain signals related to precision and temporal structure representation. These findings support the idea of a systematic temporal organization of experiences, which plays a role in guiding inferential processes.