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Related Concept Videos

Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.
Long-Term Memory01:18

Long-Term Memory

Long-term memory is a relatively permanent type of memory, capable of storing vast amounts of information over extended periods. Its storage capacity is generally considered unlimited.
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of information more...
Long-term Potentiation01:35

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre- and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Long-term Potentiation01:25

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...

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Related Experiment Video

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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

Temporary activation of long-term memory supports working memory.

Jarrod A Lewis-Peacock1, Bradley R Postle

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. lewispeacock@wisc.edu

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|August 30, 2008
PubMed
Summary

This study used fMRI to show that working memory relies on reactivating long-term memory (LTM) representations. Brain activity patterns during LTM tasks predicted working memory performance.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Working memory involves temporary information retention.
  • Long-term memory (LTM) stores information for extended periods.
  • The neural basis of how LTM supports working memory is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if LTM representations are temporarily reactivated during working memory tasks.
  • To determine if brain activity patterns learned during LTM tasks can decode working memory activity.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to scan participants performing LTM and working memory tasks.
  • A pattern classifier was trained on brain activity patterns associated with viewing and judging different picture categories (famous people, locations, objects) during LTM tasks.
  • The trained classifier was used to decode brain activity during the delay period of a working memory task involving the same stimuli.

Main Results:

  • The LTM-trained classifier successfully decoded delay-period brain activity during the working memory task.
  • Delay-period activity in a distributed network of brain regions reflected task-relevant stimuli more than irrelevant stimuli.
  • While prefrontal cortex showed category-specific activity during LTM tasks, these patterns were not reinstated during working memory.

Conclusions:

  • Short-term information retention in working memory is supported by the temporary reactivation of long-term memory representations.
  • This reactivation involves a distributed network, not solely prefrontal cortex.
  • Working memory may leverage existing LTM traces for temporary information maintenance.