Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
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.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Multisensory integration of stimulus-driven and goal-driven signals during urgent saccadic choices.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

The cost of efficiency in flexible neural representations.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Trajectories of Response Inhibition Development in Adolescence.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Prefrontal Mechanisms of Rule Learning.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Physiological, Histological, and Cognitive Characterization of a Rhesus Macaque Model of Presbycusis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Linking macroscale structure and function in brain-like recurrent neural networks.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
14:24

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

Changes in prefrontal neuronal activity after learning to perform a spatial working memory task.

Xue-Lian Qi1, Travis Meyer, Terrence R Stanford

  • 1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1010, USA.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|April 30, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cognitive task learning recruits more prefrontal cortex neurons but decreases their stimulus selectivity. This shift suggests neurons represent more abstract information after task mastery.

More Related Videos

Using MazeSuite and Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Learning in Spatial Navigation
20:12

Using MazeSuite and Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Learning in Spatial Navigation

Published on: October 8, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
14:24

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

Using MazeSuite and Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Learning in Spatial Navigation
20:12

Using MazeSuite and Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Learning in Spatial Navigation

Published on: October 8, 2011

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Learning and Memory

Background:

  • The prefrontal cortex is crucial for cognitive task performance.
  • How learning alters neural representations of stimulus properties remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate changes in prefrontal cortex neuronal activity and stimulus representation following cognitive task learning.
  • To understand the neural mechanisms underlying visual working memory acquisition.

Main Methods:

  • Neuronal activity was recorded in monkeys before and after training on a visual working memory task.
  • Analysis focused on changes in neuronal firing rates, selectivity, and discrimination abilities.

Main Results:

  • Task learning led to increased prefrontal neuron activation and firing rates during working memory maintenance.
  • Unexpectedly, neuronal selectivity for stimulus properties and discrimination abilities decreased post-training.
  • This degradation of selectivity was robust and not due to confounding factors.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive task mastery, unlike perceptual learning, appears to degrade apparent stimulus selectivity in the prefrontal cortex.
  • Neurons may shift towards representing more abstract task-related information after learning.
  • Increased neuronal recruitment compensates for the loss of individual neuron selectivity.