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Updated: May 27, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Working memory and response selection: a computational account of interactions among cortico-basalganglio-thalamic
Henning Schroll1, Julien Vitay, Fred H Hamker
1Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité University Medicine, Philippstrasse 13, Haus 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany. henning.schroll@bccn-berlin.de
Abstract:
Cortico-basalganglio-thalamic loops are involved in both cognitive processes and motor control. We present a biologically meaningful computational model of how these loops contribute to the organization of working memory and the development of response behavior. Via reinforcement learning in basal ganglia, the model develops flexible control of working memory within prefrontal loops and achieves selection of appropriate responses based on working memory content and visual stimulation within a motor loop. We show that both working memory control and response selection can evolve within parallel and interacting cortico-basalganglio-thalamic loops by Hebbian and three-factor learning rules. Furthermore, the model gives a coherent explanation for how complex strategies of working memory control and response selection can derive from basic cognitive operations that can be learned via trial and error.
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