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Related Concept Videos

Working Memory01:24

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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...
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The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is...
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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...
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Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or...
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Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
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The "working" of working memory.

Earl K Miller1

  • 1Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience
|January 25, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This review explores the brain basis of executive functions in working memory. It proposes that prefrontal cortex neurons link brain networks for task completion, potentially explaining limited simultaneous thought capacity.

Keywords:
basal gangliacognitionexecutive functionoscillationprefrontal cortexsynchronyworking memory

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Neurobiology

Background:

  • Executive functions are crucial for cognitive tasks.
  • Working memory relies on complex neural processes.
  • The neurobiological underpinnings of executive functions remain an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence for a neurobiological explanation of executive functions in working memory.
  • To propose a model where prefrontal cortex neurons mediate executive control.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of neurobiological studies on executive functions.
  • Examination of theories on neuronal coding and network dynamics in the prefrontal cortex.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests executive control arises from multifunctional neurons in the prefrontal cortex.
  • These neurons acquire and represent task rules.
  • Neural synchronization may underlie the dynamic linking of cortex-wide networks.

Conclusions:

  • Multifunctional neurons in the prefrontal cortex are key to executive control.
  • Dynamic network linking via neural synchronization may explain working memory capacity limits.
  • This neurobiological framework advances understanding of higher cognitive functions.