Each sphere is a memory / association node; the glowing gold sphere at the centre is a stand-in for the "hub" that current experience routes through. Lines are synaptic pathways. A memory can only be consciously retrieved if a path of intact synapses still connects it to the hub.
Stage sets how far a simplified amyloid-plaque-style process has progressed. Every synapse has a random resilience value; as stage rises, the least resilient synapses fade and snap first (small amber clumps mark plaque build-up), while sturdier ones survive longer.
Progression rate controls how quickly the network animates toward the target stage — a purely visual pace, not a medical timescale.
Cognitive reserve unlocks extra compensatory pathways (thin blue links) that reroute signals around damage — mirroring how education, social engagement and mental activity are associated with networks that tolerate more pathology before symptoms appear.
Click any node to attempt recall. The engine runs a graph search from the hub through currently intact synapses: reachable → the node flashes bright (successful recall); disconnected → it stays dim (recall failed). "Run recall test" samples every node at once and reports the success rate.