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Distinct functional and structural neural underpinnings of working memory
Max M Owens1, Bryant Duda1, Lawrence H Sweet2
1Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 125 Baldwin Street, Athens, GA 30602, United States.
Neuroimage
|March 20, 2018
Summary
This study reveals distinct roles for brain structure and neural activation in working memory (WM). While frontal lobe activation aids WM performance, increased cortical thickness there inversely impacts it, showing structure-function dissociation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Working memory (WM) is crucial for daily function, involving information abstraction and manipulation.
- Few studies have concurrently investigated the functional and structural neural correlates of WM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize overlapping and unique associations between brain function and structure in relation to WM performance.
- To examine both BOLD activation and brain structure metrics in a large adult sample during a WM task.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large sample (N=1064) from the Human Connectome Project.
- Administered an in-scanner visual N-back task to assess WM.
- Analyzed functional (BOLD activation) and structural (cortical thickness, gray matter volume) neuroimaging data.
Main Results:
- Dissociation observed between BOLD activation and brain structure regarding WM performance.
- Middle frontal gyrus activation positively correlated with WM performance, while its cortical thickness showed an inverse association.
- Other regions like superior parietal lobule and orbitofrontal cortex showed unique associations with WM performance.
Conclusions:
- Findings implicate frontoparietal brain networks in WM.
- Demonstrates distinct, sometimes opposing, roles of neural activation and brain structure in WM.
- Highlights a lack of direct homology between neural structure and cognitive function in WM.
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