1Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
2MIND Research Institute, Irvine, California, USA
3Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
4NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200122, China
Corresponding authors: Yixuan Ku. E-mail: yixuanku@gmail.com

Abstract 

The activity in sensory cortices and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) throughout the delay interval of working memory (WM) tasks refl ect two aspects of WM—quality and quantity, respectively. The delay activity in sensory cortices is fi ne-tuned to sensory information and forms the neural basis of the precision of WM storage, while the delay activity in the PFC appears to represent behavioral goals and filters out irrelevant distractions, forming the neural basis of the quantity of task-relevant information in WM. The PFC and sensory cortices interact through different frequency bands of neuronal oscillation (theta, alpha, and gamma) to fulfi ll goal-directed behaviors.

Keywords

working memory; prefrontal cortex; capacity limit; memory precision; neuronal oscillations

[SpringerLink]