Long-term memory supports the retention, preservation, and prioritization of short-term memory
-
1
University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
-
2
Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, United States
I will describe research that effected several empirical tests of the theoretical idea that the short- term retention of information (STM) is accomplished by the re-activation of long-term memory (LTM) representations. It leveraged a powerful new information-based analysis technique for neuroimaging data (pattern classification of fMRI) in a way that allowed for the precise tracking of actual information representations in the brain. First, I will establish the neural plausibility of the activated-LTM idea with data showing that a pattern classifier trained on category-specific brain activity from a LTM task was used to successfully decode brain activity from a subsequent STM task that required the short-term retention of the same stimuli. Second, I will describe recent data that suggest that delay-period activity may in fact reflect the focus of attention rather than the neural mechanism of short-term maintenance. Across two experiments we unconfounded attention and memory, either by causing an exogenous shift of attention to distracting information or by causing an endogenous shift to a subset of information held in memory. The neural representation of unattended information dropped to baseline, yet the information was remembered after a short delay. Whereas the loss of sustained activity has been thought to indicate a disruption of STM, our data also show that re-focusing attention can restore the neural signature and availability of a mental representation. Theoretically, these results call for rethinking the “activation” assumption in cognitive models describing STM as the temporary activation of LTM. Empirically, they suggest that many previous studies of short-term and working memory might usefully be reinterpreted as studies of sustained attention to information.
Keywords:
fMRI,
working memory
Conference:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Symposium: Oral Presentation
Topic:
Symposium 17: Current trends in working memory research: Evidence from functional neuroimaging
Citation:
Postle
BR and
Lewis-Peacock
JA
(2011). Long-term memory supports the retention, preservation, and prioritization of short-term memory.
Conference Abstract:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00570
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
14 Nov 2011;
Published Online:
28 Nov 2011.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Bradley R Postle, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States, postle@wisc.edu
Dr. Jarrod A Lewis-Peacock, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States, Peacock2@gmail.com