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Published on: September 11, 2017
Increasing top-down suppression from prefrontal cortex facilitates tactile working memory.
Henri Hannula1, Tuomas Neuvonen, Petri Savolainen
1Neuroscience Unit, Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Neuroimage
|August 1, 2009
Summary
Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) precisely targets brain regions like the middle frontal gyrus (MFG). This study shows TMS to the MFG enhances tactile working memory (WM) by suppressing sensory interference.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Investigating the functional anatomy of the human brain requires precise methods.
- Working memory (WM) for tactile temporal information is crucial for sensory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) in tactile temporal working memory (WM).
- To determine if anatomical connectivity influences TMS effects on WM.
- To explore the neural mechanisms underlying tactile WM maintenance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and tractography.
- Applied single TMS pulses to the MFG during tactile WM tasks.
- Measured behavioral performance and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs).
Main Results:
- TMS to the MFG facilitated tactile temporal WM, particularly when connected to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1).
- TMS improved WM performance even with interfering tactile stimuli.
- TMS application attenuated SEPs, suggesting sensory processing modulation.
Conclusions:
- The MFG plays a key role in maintaining tactile temporal WM through top-down suppression.
- Anatomical connectivity between MFG and S1 is critical for this top-down control.
- This study elucidates a specific brain network involved in tactile WM maintenance.
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