Multi-level analyses of associative recognition memory: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

•Behavioural and systems, cellular and synaptic levels of analyses reveal multiple brain regions contribute to associative recognition memory.•The key brain regions include the perirhinal and prefrontal cortices, thalamus and hippocampus•Associative recognition memory depends on dynamic interactions between these regions.•Distinct subnetworks are recruited for the processing of spatial and temporal information.•The prefrontal cortex acts as a key hub for encoding and retrieval of associative recognition memory information.