Abstract
Working memory is the cognitive capacity of short-term storage of information for goal-directed behaviors. Where and how this capacity is implemented in the brain are unresolved questions. We show that auditory cortex stores information by persistent changes of neural activity. We separated activity related to working memory from activity related to other mental processes by having humans and monkeys perform different tasks with varying working memory demands on the same sound sequences. Working memory was reflected in the spiking activity of individual neurons in auditory cortex and in the activity of neuronal populations, that is, in local field potentials and magnetic fields. Our results provide direct support for the idea that temporary storage of information recruits the same brain areas that also process the information. Because similar activity was observed in the two species, the cellular bases of some auditory working memory processes in humans can be studied in monkeys.
Highlights
Working memory (WM) has been defined as a cognitive process for temporary storage of task-relevant information for goal-directed behaviors (D’Esposito, 2007; Sreenivasan et al, 2014)
The current report provides converging evidence from humans and monkeys that neural activity in AC can reflect WM. This was demonstrated in three independent studies in which subjects performed different tasks on the same sequences of sounds, allowing separation of activity related to WM from activity related to other mental processes
Changes in WM load resulted in persistent changes of spiking activity, local field potentials (LFPs) and magnetic fields, suggesting that AC stores information in spikes and synaptic potentials
Summary
Working memory (WM) has been defined as a cognitive process for temporary storage of task-relevant information for goal-directed behaviors (D’Esposito, 2007; Sreenivasan et al, 2014). The two types of information have been termed the retrospective and prospective codes, respectively, and both can be stored in WM to bridge sensory events or their contingent behavioral actions (Curtis et al, 2004; D’Esposito, 2007; Postle, 2006; Sreenivasan et al, 2014). Lesion (Colombo et al, 1990, 1996; Fritz et al, 2005), imaging
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