Differential neural activation for updating rule versus stimulus information in working memory.

Full Abstract

Establishing what information is actively maintained in working memory (WM) and how it is represented and controlled is essential to understanding how such information guides future behavior. WM has traditionally been investigated in terms of the maintenance of stimulus-specific information, such as locations or words. More recently, investigators have emphasized the importance of rules that establish relationships between those stimuli and the pending response. The current study used a mental arithmetic task with fMRI to test whether updating of numbers (i.e., stimuli) and updating of mathematical operations (i.e., rules) in WM relies on the same neural system. Results indicate that, while a common network is activated by both types of updating, rule updating preferentially activates prefrontal cortex while number updating preferentially activates parietal cortex. The results suggest that both numbers and rules are maintained in WM but that they are different types of information that are controlled independently.

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Author information

Author/s: Montojo, Caroline A (CA); Courtney, Susan M (SM);

Affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218-2686, USA.

Grants: R01 MH061625 (Agency:United States NIMH)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Neuron (Neuron), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jul; vol 59 (issue 1) : pp 173-82

Dates: Created 2008/07/10; Completed 2008/08/12;

PMID: 18614038, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Analysis of Variance
Brain - blood supply; physiology
Brain Mapping
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods
Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Mathematics
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Mental Processes - physiology
Oxygen - blood
Photic Stimulation - methods
Reaction Time - physiology

Associated Chemicals: Oxygen (7782-44-7)

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