Neurons with memory-related responses have since been reported in multiple brain regions, for example the inferior temporal and posterior parietal cortex, the end-stages of the ventral and dorsal visual pathways, respectively ( Andersen, Essick, & Siegel, 1987 Fuster & Jervey, 1981). The part of the visual space where stimulus appearance can produce sustained activation has been termed the neuron’s “memory field”, in analogy to the receptive field of neurons responding to sensory stimulation ( Funahashi, Bruce, & Goldman-Rakic, 1989). Individual neurons represent particular features and spatial locations so that the activity of the prefrontal population can encode a remembered stimulus.
Neurophysiological recordings subsequently provided a neural correlate of working memory, in the sustained discharges of neurons, persisting even after the offset of brief stimuli that monkeys were trained to remember and recall ( Fuster & Alexander, 1971). Lesion studies first localized working memory functions in the cortical surface of the frontal lobe ( Jacobsen, 1936 Milner, 1963). Working memory constitutes a core component of higher cognitive functions including language, problem solving and reasoning ( Baddeley, 1992). Working memory is the term commonly used for the ability to maintain information in memory over a time span of a few seconds. The neural mechanisms of memory maintenance and the integrative role of the prefrontal cortex are also discussed.
The article reviews our current understanding on the anatomical organization of networks mediating working memory and the neural correlates of memory manifested in each of their nodes. Neurophysiological studies in primates confirm the involvement of areas beyond the frontal lobe and illustrate that working memory involves parallel, distributed neuronal networks. These include the parietal and temporal association areas of the cerebral cortex, cingulate and limbic areas, and subcortical structures such as the mediodorsal thalamus and the basal ganglia. Anatomical and physiological evidence suggest however that the prefrontal cortex is part of a broader network of interconnected brain areas involved in working memory.
#Courtney goldman stripes group update#
Working memory has long been associated with the prefrontal cortex, as damage to this brain area can critically impair the ability to maintain and update mnemonic information.
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