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

Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

993
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...
993
Auditory Perception01:17

Auditory Perception

1.3K
The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the...
1.3K
Hearing01:31

Hearing

57.9K
When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
57.9K
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

7.7K
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
7.7K
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

638
Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of...
638
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location01:21

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

1.2K
The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
1.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Modality-dependent bottom-up attention and eye gaze direction affect auditory spatial discrimination.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same author

Human intracranial correlates of dynamic coding in auditory working memory.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Function of the auditory cortex characterized by its intrinsic dynamic coactivation patterns estimated in individuals.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2026
Same author

Neuronal Representation of Auditory Distance Percepts vs. Cues in Human Auditory Cortex.

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO·2026
Same author

Corrigendum to "Decoding auditory working memory content from EEG responses to auditory-cortical TMS" [Brain Stimulation 18 3 (2025) 649-658].

Brain stimulation·2025
Same author

The RF Cap: A 26-channel flexible RF coil cap for optimized concurrent TMS/fMRI experiments at 3T.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 24, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

14.1K

Suppression of irrelevant sounds during auditory working memory.

Jyrki Ahveninen1, Larry J Seidman2, Wei-Tang Chang1

  • 1Harvard Medical School - Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.

Neuroimage
|August 19, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Auditory working memory (WM) actively suppresses irrelevant sounds via a late control mechanism, particularly under high cognitive load. This process involves alpha oscillations in the auditory cortex (AC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC).

More Related Videos

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
09:37

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

9.6K
Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat
09:43

Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat

Published on: December 11, 2017

7.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 24, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

14.1K
Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
09:37

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

9.6K
Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat
09:43

Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat

Published on: December 11, 2017

7.3K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Auditory Perception

Background:

  • Auditory working memory (WM) is crucial for filtering relevant sounds amidst distractors in noisy environments.
  • Understanding how the brain suppresses irrelevant auditory information, especially when it originates from the same source as relevant information, remains a key question.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the suppression of irrelevant auditory stimuli during high working memory load.
  • To differentiate between early filtering and late active suppression hypotheses for auditory interference.

Main Methods:

  • Multimodal neuroimaging combining magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), and functional MRI (fMRI).
  • A phonetic auditory continuous performance task with manipulated working memory load.
  • Analysis of neural activity and functional connectivity using generalized linear mixed effect (GLME) models.

Main Results:

  • High WM load led to suppression of left auditory cortex (AC) activity to irrelevant sounds (250-300 ms post-stimulus).
  • Increased alpha-range (10-14 Hz) functional connectivity between left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left AC was observed.
  • Suppression correlated with increased pre-stimulus alpha power (7-15 Hz) in the AC.

Conclusions:

  • Auditory interference is managed by a late, active suppression mechanism under high WM load, not solely by early filtering.
  • Alpha oscillations in the auditory cortex play an inhibitory role in managing auditory working memory.
  • This active suppression prevents the consolidation of irrelevant information without hindering initial stimulus processing.