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A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Selective involvement of superior frontal cortex during working memory for shapes
Lydia T S Yee1, Katherine Roe, Susan M Courtney
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|November 20, 2009
Summary
This study reveals distinct prefrontal cortex (PFC) roles in working memory. Superior frontal cortex aids shape memory, while anterior insula supports color memory, challenging unified models.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is theorized to have domain-specific organization, with dorsal and ventral regions dissociating spatial/nonspatial information.
- However, inconsistencies exist regarding PFC organization during working memory, questioning if these dissociations mirror perceptual pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional dissociation between dorsal and ventral PFC during working memory for object features (shape vs. color).
- To determine if object feature working memory relies on distinct neural substrates within the PFC.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activation.
- Participants performed delayed-recognition tasks for object shape and object color.
Main Results:
- Shape-delayed recognition showed greater activation in lateral occipital cortex compared to color-delayed recognition, aligning with visual perception studies.
- Superior frontal cortex and parietal regions exhibited greater memory-delay activity for shape than color, with superior frontal activity correlating with shape task performance.
- The left anterior insula showed greater memory-delay activity for color than shape, correlating with color task performance.
Conclusions:
- Superior frontal cortex contributes to working memory for object identities (shapes), representing information distinct from ventral frontal cortex.
- The findings suggest a functional dissociation within PFC for working memory of object features, with specific regions supporting different types of information.
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