Condition-specific neural signatures of reactivation during post-retrieval rest: An EEG study

Memory reactivation mediates memory malleability, enabling memories to be updated or rendered susceptible to interference. Contemporary theories emphasize that reactivation outcomes depend on the degree and quality of neural reinstatement elicited by retrieval cues. Here, we analyzed how reminders with varying degrees of overlap with prior learning shape neural dynamics during the post-retrieval resting state period. Using electroencephalography (EEG), we compared cue (RX) and context (RCTX) reminders, which differ in their sensitivity to interference. Both reminders were associated with reductions in high beta-band power (25–40 Hz). An exploratory analysis of phase-synchronization network organization differentiated the two reminder types; the RCTX reminder, which was less similar to the original learning episode, showed increased frontal betweenness centrality, suggesting a prominent role for frontal regions in information transfer. Together, these findings identify high beta-band activity and network topology as signatures of post-retrieval neural states that differentiate between reminder types.