Abstract
Lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) is regarded as the hub of the brain's working memory (WM) system, but it remains unclear whether WM is supported by a single distributed network or multiple specialized network components in this region. To investigate this problem, we recorded from neurons in PFC while monkeys made delayed eye movements guided by memory or vision. We show that neuronal responses during these tasks map to three anatomically specific modes of persistent activity. The first two modes encode early and late forms of information storage, whereas the third mode encodes response preparation. Neurons that reflect these modes are concentrated at different anatomical locations in PFC and exhibit distinct patterns of coordinated firing rates and spike timing during WM, consistent with distinct networks. These findings support multiple component models of WM and consequently predict distinct failures that could contribute to neurologic dysfunction.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11084-11089 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| Volume | 112 |
| Issue number | 35 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2015 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Coherence
- Macaque
- Prefrontal cortex
- Working memory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General
Cite this
Multiple component networks support working memory in prefrontal cortex. / Markowitz, David A.; Curtis, Clayton; Pesaran, Bijan.
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 112, No. 35, 01.09.2015, p. 11084-11089.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Multiple component networks support working memory in prefrontal cortex
AU - Markowitz, David A.
AU - Curtis, Clayton
AU - Pesaran, Bijan
PY - 2015/9/1
Y1 - 2015/9/1
N2 - Lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) is regarded as the hub of the brain's working memory (WM) system, but it remains unclear whether WM is supported by a single distributed network or multiple specialized network components in this region. To investigate this problem, we recorded from neurons in PFC while monkeys made delayed eye movements guided by memory or vision. We show that neuronal responses during these tasks map to three anatomically specific modes of persistent activity. The first two modes encode early and late forms of information storage, whereas the third mode encodes response preparation. Neurons that reflect these modes are concentrated at different anatomical locations in PFC and exhibit distinct patterns of coordinated firing rates and spike timing during WM, consistent with distinct networks. These findings support multiple component models of WM and consequently predict distinct failures that could contribute to neurologic dysfunction.
AB - Lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) is regarded as the hub of the brain's working memory (WM) system, but it remains unclear whether WM is supported by a single distributed network or multiple specialized network components in this region. To investigate this problem, we recorded from neurons in PFC while monkeys made delayed eye movements guided by memory or vision. We show that neuronal responses during these tasks map to three anatomically specific modes of persistent activity. The first two modes encode early and late forms of information storage, whereas the third mode encodes response preparation. Neurons that reflect these modes are concentrated at different anatomical locations in PFC and exhibit distinct patterns of coordinated firing rates and spike timing during WM, consistent with distinct networks. These findings support multiple component models of WM and consequently predict distinct failures that could contribute to neurologic dysfunction.
KW - Coherence
KW - Macaque
KW - Prefrontal cortex
KW - Working memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84941002438&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84941002438&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1504172112
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1504172112
M3 - Article
VL - 112
SP - 11084
EP - 11089
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
SN - 0027-8424
IS - 35
ER -