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Updated: Jun 8, 2026
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A Gaze-Contingent Display Framework for Perceptual Learning Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
Published on: April 11, 2025
Prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia contributions to visual working memory.
Bradley Voytek1, Robert T Knight
1Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. bradley.voytek@gmail.com
Summary
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports visual working memory (VWM) by modulating attention, while the basal ganglia (BG) offer global VWM support. Lesion studies reveal distinct roles for PFC and BG in VWM.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Visual working memory (VWM) relies on internal representations for stimulus comparison.
- The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and basal ganglia (BG) form a critical network for VWM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the distinct roles of the PFC and BG in VWM.
- To investigate how unilateral PFC or BG lesions impact VWM and attention.
Main Methods:
- Scalp electroencephalography (EEG) was employed in patient groups with unilateral PFC or BG lesions.
- Behavioral and electrophysiological measures were used to assess VWM and attention.
Main Results:
- PFC patients exhibited VWM deficits and reduced neural activity for contralesional visual field stimuli.
- BG patients showed VWM deficits irrespective of stimulus hemifield, with preserved attention.
- PFC lesions impaired attention modulation, while BG lesions affected global VWM support.
Conclusions:
- The PFC plays a crucial role in top-down, intrahemispheric modulation of attention and VWM.
- The BG are essential for global support of VWM processes.
- PFC and BG have complementary yet dissociable functions in visual working memory.
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