Neural correlates of false recognition

The neuronal basis of false recognition is still a subject of extensive debate. We used voxel based morphometry (VBM) to examine structural brain correlates of false and correct recognition processes. Since several studies indicate that emotional content facilitates false recognition we employed emotional stimuli taken from International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Behavioral measures, i.e., true and false recognition rates were used as covariants in VBM analyses. VBM results indicated that the true recognition correlated positively with grey-matter (GM) density in bilateral amygdala, anterior cingulate and middle temporal gyrus, i.e., brain regions, involved in the memory of emotional material, as revealed by fMRI results. False recognition correlated negatively with GM density in prefrontal areas (BA47 and BA9), which were implicated in false recognition by our previous fMRI study. Taken together, these results support the role of the prefrontal cortex in monitoring retrieval and limiting the probability of false recognition. Our VBM fi ndings (1) point to the brain structures critical for correct and false recognition of emotional stimuli and (2) disclose structural differences between these processes.