A trio of brain networks dynamically orchestrates music recognition

Recognition memory continuously integrates internal representations with sensory information to guide adaptive behavior. Yet most theoretical models conceptualize recognition as the retrieval of an isolated stimulus through a discrete sequence of steps including sensory processing, hippocampal retrieval, and cortical reinstatement. However, in natural settings, perception, memory, and predictions interact continuously within an evolving context to guide adaptive responses. It is unclear how brain networks coordinate the integration of internal and external information during dynamic recognition. Here, we combined intracranial recordings (N = 30) of high-frequency activity (70-160 Hz) and dimensionality reduction to characterize distributed network dynamics during music recognition. We identified three interacting functional networks supporting sensory processing, sensory-memory integration, and decision formation, whose temporal dynamics predicted the timing of behavior. During recognition of memorized sequences, sensory activity progressively attenuated, sensory inputs were combined with mnemonic and contextual information, and decision-related activity evolved toward sensorimotor engagement. Novel sequences disrupted this organization by sustaining sensory responses and accelerating decision-related activity. Sensory and integrative networks communicated bidirectionally. Our findings reveal recognition as a distributed, context-dependent, and goal-directed process emerging from the continuous and bidirectional coordination of large-scale brain networks.