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Working Memory

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 16, 2026

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Published on: October 24, 2012

Distributed and drifting signals for working memory load in human cortex.

Kirsten C S Adam¹, Edward Awh^2,3, John T Serences^4,5

¹Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University, Houston TX.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology

|September 26, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Neural constraints on working memory (WM) load are distributed across the cortex, not localized to the intraparietal sulcus. Brain activity patterns refine over time for efficient information storage.

Keywords:

load signals posterior parietal cortex representational drift visual cortex working memory

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Mapping the After-effects of Theta Burst Stimulation on the Human Auditory Cortex with Functional Imaging

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Published on: September 12, 2012

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroimaging

Background:

Working memory (WM) load impacts behavior, with debate on whether neural constraints are localized or distributed.
The intraparietal sulcus is a candidate region for localized WM load signals.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural basis of working memory load.
To determine if working memory load is encoded in a localized or distributed manner across the brain.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 12 human participants.
Visual working memory task with varying memory loads (0-4 items).
Analysis of univariate and multivariate brain activity patterns.

Main Results:

Replicated localized load-dependent activity in parietal cortex.
Observed distributed univariate activity changes across the visual hierarchy.
Multivariate patterns encoded WM load irrespective of univariate effects, challenging localized theories.
Detected representational drift in activity patterns over time.

Conclusions:

Working memory load is encoded by distributed neural patterns, not restricted to the parietal cortex.
Neural representations of memory load may be continually refined for efficiency.