Neuronal responses and recognition memory

Recognition memory requires identification of a stimulus plus judgement concerning its prior occurrence. Information concerning the prior occurrence of stimuli is signalled by neurons in the anterior inferior temporal and perirhinal cortex. Typically these neurons respond less when a visual stimulus is seen for the second time than when it is first seen, even if the two occurrences of the stimulus are widely separated in time. The properties of such responses, together with those of similar responses in related brain regions, are discussed in relation to recognition memory.