La corteza prefrontal del macaco integra múltiples componentes para juicios metacognitivos de la memoria de trabajo

The ability to evaluate one's own memory is known as metamemory. Whether metamemory is inherent to memory strength or requires additional computation in the brain remains largely unknown. We investigated the metacognitive mechanism of working memory (WM) using two-photon calcium imaging in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of macaque monkeys, memorizing spatial sequences of varying difficulties. In some trials, after viewing the sequence, monkeys could opt out of retrieval for a smaller reward, reflecting their confidence in WM (meta-WM). We discovered that PFC neurons encoded WM strength by jointly representing the remembered locations and their associated uncertainties. Additional factors-trial history and arousal-encoded in baseline activity also predicted opt-out decisions, serving as cues for meta-WM. We further identified a code for meta-WM itself that integrated WM strength with these cues. Thus, the PFC neural geometry implements metacognitive computations, integrating WM strength with cues into a meta-WM signal to guide behavior.