Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
10:07
Using Fiberless, Wearable fNIRS to Monitor Brain Activity in Real-world Cognitive Tasks
Published on: December 2, 2015
Differential components of prospective memory? Evidence from fMRI
Jon S Simons1, Marieke L Schölvinck, Sam J Gilbert
1Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University College London, UK. jss30@cam.ac.uk
Neuropsychologia
|March 4, 2006
Summary
Prospective memory involves remembering delayed intentions. This study found that while cue identification and intention retrieval are behaviorally distinct, they share neural activity in the anterior prefrontal cortex (area 10).
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Human Brain Function
Background:
- Prospective memory, the ability to remember future intentions, comprises cue identification and intention retrieval.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of these components is crucial for cognitive neuroscience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the two core components of prospective memory, cue identification and intention retrieval, share a common neural basis.
- To explore the role of anterior prefrontal cortex (BA 10) in supporting these prospective memory functions.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
- Behavioral performance was assessed across different conditions manipulating demands on cue identification and intention retrieval.
- Specific patterns of hemodynamic changes in the anterior prefrontal cortex (BA 10) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Significant behavioral differences were observed between cue identification and intention retrieval tasks.
- A consistent pattern of activation in lateral BA 10 and deactivation in medial BA 10 was found in both prospective memory conditions.
- These neural effects were amplified under high intention retrieval demands.
Conclusions:
- Cue identification and intention retrieval, while behaviorally separable, share common neural substrates.
- Anterior prefrontal cortex (area 10) appears critical for biasing attention between external cues and internal intentions.
- The findings support a model where BA 10 integrates external event monitoring with internal goal maintenance in prospective memory.
