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Related Concept Videos

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.
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision01:15

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.
Visual Agnosia01:12

Visual Agnosia

Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round end"...
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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 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

Trade-off between capacity and precision in visuospatial working memory.

Chantal Roggeman1, Torkel Klingberg, Heleen E M Feenstra

  • 1Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|September 20, 2013
PubMed
Summary

A computational model revealed a trade-off between working memory (WM) capacity and precision. Increased storage capacity via excitation temporarily boosts performance but reduces memory precision, suggesting a neural basis for WM limitations.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • Working memory (WM) limitations are defined by item capacity and information precision.
  • Neural mechanisms underlying these WM performance limitations remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the capacity-precision trade-off in visuospatial working memory using a biologically constrained computational model.
  • To explore the neural underpinnings of WM performance control.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a computational model of two connected spiking neural networks for WM storage and excitatory input.
  • Conducted behavioral experiments with 38 participants and fMRI scans with 22 participants to test model predictions.

Main Results:

  • Model simulations predicted that increased storage capacity via excitation leads to decreased memory precision.
  • Behavioral data confirmed a significant trade-off between WM capacity and precision.
  • fMRI data indicated frontal lobe involvement in trial-by-trial WM control, with individual differences correlating with frontal activation.

Conclusions:

  • Results support a two-module model of working memory, involving distinct storage capacity and top-down control mechanisms.
  • Top-down influences can dynamically modulate both WM capacity and precision on a trial-by-trial basis.
  • Individual variations in the capacity-precision trade-off are linked to neural activity in frontal brain regions.