Neural and behavioral reinstatement jointly reflect retrieval of narrative events

Abstract

When recalling past events, patterns of gaze position and neural activity resemble those observed during the original experience. We hypothesized that these two phenomena, known as gaze reinstatement and neural reactivation, are linked through a common process that underlies the reinstatement of past experiences during memory retrieval. Here, we tested this proposal based on the viewing and recall of a narrative movie, which we assessed through fMRI, deep learning-based gaze prediction, and language modeling of spoken recall. In line with key predictions, gaze behavior adhered to the same principles as neural activity; it was event-specific, robust across individuals, and generalized across viewing and recall. Additionally, gaze-dependent brain activity overlapped substantially across tasks. Collectively, these results suggest that retrieval engages mechanisms that direct our eyes during natural vision, reflecting common constraints within the functional organization of the nervous system. Moreover, they highlight the importance of considering behavioral and neural reinstatement together in our understanding of remembering.