Neuroscience 2003 Abstract
| Presentation Number: | 343.9 |
|---|---|
| Abstract Title: | Common neural substrates of behavioral selection and working memory: evidence from functional MRI. |
| Authors: |
McCarthy, G.*1,2,5
; Viola, R. J.1
; Song, A. W.1,2
; Huettel, S. A.1,3,4
1Brain Imaging and Analysis Ctr., Duke Univ. Med. Ctr., Durham, NC 2Radiology, Duke Univ. Med. Ctr., Durham, NC 3NeuroBiol., Duke Univ. Med. Ctr., Durham, NC 4Psychiatry, Duke Univ. Med. Ctr., Durham, NC 5NC, 163 Bell Building, Box 3918, 27710, |
| Primary Theme and Topics |
Cognition and Behavior - Human Cognition and Behavior -- Executive function: Working memory |
| Secondary Theme and Topics | Cognition and Behavior<br />- Human Cognition and Behavior<br />-- Executive function: Reasoning & problem solving |
| Session: |
343. Working Memory & Executive Function II Slide |
| Presentation Time: | Monday, November 10, 2003 10:00 AM-10:00 AM |
| Location: | Morial Convention Center - Room 391 |
| Keywords: | NEUROIMAGING, ATTENTION, DECISION, SEQUENCE |
Executive cognitive processes have been implicated in a wide variety of cognitive tasks, from maintenance of an item in working memory to selection of an infrequent response. The current study investigated whether working memory and response selection cues evoke transient activity in similar brain regions, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 4T.
Subjects viewed a series of simple shapes (triangles and circles) presented one at a time in a rapid sequence, with each shape visible for 500ms with a 1000ms interstimulus interval. Most stimuli were black and task-irrelevant. On infrequent oddball trials (10%), the stimuli were blue and required a button press response, regardless of its shape. On encoding trials (5%), the stimuli were green and subjects remembered their shape. On subsequent retrieval trials (5%) presented in red, the subject pressed a button if the presented shape matched that on the previous encoding trial. The encoding and retrieval stimuli were separated by intervals of between 7 and 15 stimuli, so that extended maintenance and non-maintenance periods could be identified.
Significant activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) was found for all three trial types. Anterior insula activity was also present for all three conditions. Oddball trials also evoked activity in the basal ganglia, contralateral motor cortex, and ipsilateral cerebellum. Parietal cortex activity was observed for oddball and encoding trials, but was much reduced for retrieval trials. We conclude that response selection and working memory encoding/retrieval share a common executive process: the updating of stimulus-response contingencies.
Subjects viewed a series of simple shapes (triangles and circles) presented one at a time in a rapid sequence, with each shape visible for 500ms with a 1000ms interstimulus interval. Most stimuli were black and task-irrelevant. On infrequent oddball trials (10%), the stimuli were blue and required a button press response, regardless of its shape. On encoding trials (5%), the stimuli were green and subjects remembered their shape. On subsequent retrieval trials (5%) presented in red, the subject pressed a button if the presented shape matched that on the previous encoding trial. The encoding and retrieval stimuli were separated by intervals of between 7 and 15 stimuli, so that extended maintenance and non-maintenance periods could be identified.
Significant activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) was found for all three trial types. Anterior insula activity was also present for all three conditions. Oddball trials also evoked activity in the basal ganglia, contralateral motor cortex, and ipsilateral cerebellum. Parietal cortex activity was observed for oddball and encoding trials, but was much reduced for retrieval trials. We conclude that response selection and working memory encoding/retrieval share a common executive process: the updating of stimulus-response contingencies.
Supported by NINDS 41328 (GM), Dept. of Veterans Affairs (GM), and NIDA 16214 (SAH)
Sample Citation:
[Authors]. [Abstract Title]. Program No. XXX.XX. 2003 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. New Orleans, LA: Society for Neuroscience, 2003. Online.
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