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Working Memory

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 Memory

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 Memory

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...

Elaborative Rehearsals

Elaborative Rehearsals

Elaborative rehearsal is a crucial cognitive strategy that strengthens information encoding in long-term memory by making meaningful connections between new data and pre-existing knowledge. This approach contrasts with maintenance rehearsal, which involves simple repetition without delving into the significance of the information. While maintenance rehearsal might temporarily keep information active in short-term memory, it is less effective for long-term retention.
The effectiveness of...

Long-term Potentiation

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 Potentiation

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
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

The Combination of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation and Electroencephalogram

The Combination of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation and Electroencephalogram

Published on: October 10, 2025

Theta-coupled periodic replay in working memory.

Lluís Fuentemilla¹, Will D Penny, Nathan Cashdollar

¹Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK. l.fuentemilla@ucl.ac.uk

Current Biology : CB

|March 23, 2010

Summary

Neural replay, coordinated by theta oscillations, maintains information in working memory. This theta-coupled replay mechanism was confirmed in humans, linking brain activity to performance.

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The Combination of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation and Electroencephalogram

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Tuning in the Hippocampal Theta Band In Vitro: Methodologies for Recording from the Isolated Rodent Septohippocampal Circuit

Tuning in the Hippocampal Theta Band In Vitro: Methodologies for Recording from the Isolated Rodent Septohippocampal Circuit

Published on: August 2, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Working memory enables goal-directed behaviors by maintaining transient information.
Neural oscillations, specifically theta and gamma frequencies, are hypothesized to support working memory through periodic information replay.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of neural replay coordinated by theta and gamma oscillations in human working memory maintenance.
To test predictions from computational models linking neural oscillations to working memory mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recorded high-temporal-resolution brain activity.
Multivariate pattern classifiers decoded neural responses to natural scene images.
Classifiers were applied to brain activity during a 5-second working memory maintenance period.

Main Results:

Neural replay of maintained scenes was detected throughout the entire 5-second interval.
Replay specificity was observed based on scene type (indoor/outdoor) and maintenance focus (configural vs. element-based).
Theta-phase coordination of replay was identified and positively correlated with working memory performance.

Conclusions:

Theta-coupled neural replay is a key mechanism for working memory maintenance in humans.
Findings confirm computational model predictions and link neural replay dynamics to behavioral performance.
This study identifies a specific oscillatory mechanism underlying working memory.