scholarly journals Dynamic regulation of interregional cortical communication by slow brain oscillations during working memory

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Berger ◽  
B. Griesmayr ◽  
T. Minarik ◽  
A. L. Biel ◽  
D. Pinal ◽  
...  

Abstract Transiently storing information and mentally manipulating it is known as working memory. These operations are implemented by a distributed, fronto-parietal cognitive control network in the brain. The neural mechanisms controlling interactions within this network are yet to be determined. Here, we show that during a working memory task the brain uses an oscillatory mechanism for regulating access to prefrontal cognitive resources, dynamically controlling interactions between prefrontal cortex and remote neocortical areas. Combining EEG with non-invasive brain stimulation we show that fast rhythmical brain activity at posterior sites are nested into prefrontal slow brain waves. Depending on cognitive demand this high frequency activity is nested into different phases of the slow wave enabling dynamic coupling or de-coupling of the fronto-parietal control network adjusted to cognitive effort. This mechanism constitutes a basic principle of coordinating higher cognitive functions in the human brain.

NeuroImage ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. S144
Author(s):  
K Stingl ◽  
M Rogic ◽  
K Porubska ◽  
C Canova ◽  
O Tschritter ◽  
...  

NeuroImage ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. S382
Author(s):  
T. Takahashi ◽  
R. Xiao ◽  
M. Inase ◽  
T. Tsukiura ◽  
M. Sugiura ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Francesco Panico ◽  
Stefania De Marco ◽  
Laura Sagliano ◽  
Francesca D’Olimpio ◽  
Dario Grossi ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT) is a measure of spatial working memory (WM) in clinical practice, requiring an examinee to reproduce sequences of cubes tapped by an examiner. CBT implies complementary behaviors in the examiners and the examinees, as they have to attend a precise turn taking. Previous studies demonstrated that the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is activated during CBT, but scarce evidence is available on the neural correlates of CBT in the real setting. We assessed PFC activity in dyads of examiner–examinee participants while completing the real version of CBT, during conditions of increasing and exceeding workload. This procedure allowed to investigate whether brain activity in the dyads is coordinated. Results in the examinees showed that PFC activity was higher when the workload approached or reached participants’ spatial WM span, and lower during workload conditions that were largely below or above their span. Interestingly, findings in the examiners paralleled the ones in the examinees, as examiners’ brain activity increased and decreased in a similar way as the examinees’ one. In the examiners, higher left-hemisphere activity was observed suggesting the likely activation of non-spatial WM processes. Data support a bell-shaped relationship between cognitive load and brain activity, and provide original insights on the cognitive processes activated in the examiner during CBT.


2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARK S. ALOIA ◽  
LAWRENCE H. SWEET ◽  
BETH A. JERSKEY ◽  
MOLLY ZIMMERMAN ◽  
JOHN TODD ARNEDT ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
P.K. Mallikarjun ◽  
A. Diukova ◽  
J. Cahill ◽  
D. Auer ◽  
P.F. Liddle

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 103430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Pineau ◽  
Thomas Villemonteix ◽  
Hichem Slama ◽  
Martin Kavec ◽  
Danielle Balériaux ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
AINE ITO ◽  
MARTIN CORLEY ◽  
MARTIN J. PICKERING

We used the visual world eye-tracking paradigm to investigate the effects of cognitive load on predictive eye movements in L1 (Experiment 1) and L2 (Experiment 2) speakers. Participants listened to sentences whose verb was predictive or non-predictive towards one of four objects they were viewing. They then clicked on a mentioned object. Half the participants additionally performed a working memory task of remembering words. Both L1 and L2 speakers looked more at the target object predictively in predictable- than in non-predictable sentences when they performed the listen-and-click task only. However, this predictability effect was delayed in those who performed the concurrent memory task. This pattern of results was similar in L1 and L2 speakers. L1 and L2 speakers make predictions, but cognitive resources are required for making predictive eye movements. The findings are compatible with the claim that L2 speakers use the same mechanisms as L1 speakers to make predictions.


2004 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1203-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A E Honey ◽  
G D Honey ◽  
C O'Loughlin ◽  
S R Sharar ◽  
D Kumaran ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils J. Schneider-Garces ◽  
Brian A. Gordon ◽  
Carrie R. Brumback-Peltz ◽  
Eunsam Shin ◽  
Yukyung Lee ◽  
...  

Neuroimaging data emphasize that older adults often show greater extent of brain activation than younger adults for similar objective levels of difficulty. A possible interpretation of this finding is that older adults need to recruit neuronal resources at lower loads than younger adults, leaving no resources for higher loads, and thus leading to performance decrements [Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis; e.g., Reuter-Lorenz, P. A., & Cappell, K. A. Neurocognitive aging and the compensation hypothesis. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 177–182, 2008]. The Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis leads to the prediction that activation differences between younger and older adults should disappear when task difficulty is made subjectively comparable. In a Sternberg memory search task, this can be achieved by assessing brain activity as a function of load relative to the individual's memory span, which declines with age. Specifically, we hypothesized a nonlinear relationship between load and both performance and brain activity and predicted that asymptotes in the brain activation function should correlate with performance asymptotes (corresponding to working memory span). The results suggest that age differences in brain activation can be largely attributed to individual variations in working memory span. Interestingly, the brain activation data show a sigmoid relationship with load. Results are discussed in terms of Cowan's [Cowan, N. The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24, 87–114, 2001] model of working memory and theories of impaired inhibitory processes in aging.


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