Abstract
Unlike tasks in which practice leads to an automatic stimulus-response association, it is thought working memory (WM) tasks continue to require cognitive control processes after repeated performance. Previous studies investigating WM task repetition are in accord with this. However, it is unclear whether changes in neural activity after repetition imply alterations in general control processes common to all WM tasks or are specific to the selection, encoding and maintenance of the relevant information. In the present study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine changes during sample, delay and test periods during repetition of both object and spatial delayed recognition tasks. We found decreases in fMRI activation in both spatial and object-selective areas after spatial WM task repetition, independent of behavioral performance. Few areas showed changed activity after object WM task repetition. These results indicate that spatial task repetition leads to increased efficiency of maintaining task-relevant information and improved ability to filter out task-irrelevant information. The specificity of this repetition effect to the spatial task suggests a difference exists in the nature of the representation of object and spatial information and that their maintenance in WM is likely subserved by different neural systems.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 609-617 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Cerebral Cortex |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2006 |
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Keywords
- fMRI
- Object working memory
- Prefrontal cortex
- Spatial working memory
- Task repetition
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
Cite this
Increased neural efficiency with repeated performance of a working memory task is information-type dependent. / Sayala, Seema; Sala, Joseph B.; Courtney-Faruqee, Susan.
In: Cerebral Cortex, Vol. 16, No. 5, 2006, p. 609-617.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Increased neural efficiency with repeated performance of a working memory task is information-type dependent
AU - Sayala, Seema
AU - Sala, Joseph B.
AU - Courtney-Faruqee, Susan
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - Unlike tasks in which practice leads to an automatic stimulus-response association, it is thought working memory (WM) tasks continue to require cognitive control processes after repeated performance. Previous studies investigating WM task repetition are in accord with this. However, it is unclear whether changes in neural activity after repetition imply alterations in general control processes common to all WM tasks or are specific to the selection, encoding and maintenance of the relevant information. In the present study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine changes during sample, delay and test periods during repetition of both object and spatial delayed recognition tasks. We found decreases in fMRI activation in both spatial and object-selective areas after spatial WM task repetition, independent of behavioral performance. Few areas showed changed activity after object WM task repetition. These results indicate that spatial task repetition leads to increased efficiency of maintaining task-relevant information and improved ability to filter out task-irrelevant information. The specificity of this repetition effect to the spatial task suggests a difference exists in the nature of the representation of object and spatial information and that their maintenance in WM is likely subserved by different neural systems.
AB - Unlike tasks in which practice leads to an automatic stimulus-response association, it is thought working memory (WM) tasks continue to require cognitive control processes after repeated performance. Previous studies investigating WM task repetition are in accord with this. However, it is unclear whether changes in neural activity after repetition imply alterations in general control processes common to all WM tasks or are specific to the selection, encoding and maintenance of the relevant information. In the present study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine changes during sample, delay and test periods during repetition of both object and spatial delayed recognition tasks. We found decreases in fMRI activation in both spatial and object-selective areas after spatial WM task repetition, independent of behavioral performance. Few areas showed changed activity after object WM task repetition. These results indicate that spatial task repetition leads to increased efficiency of maintaining task-relevant information and improved ability to filter out task-irrelevant information. The specificity of this repetition effect to the spatial task suggests a difference exists in the nature of the representation of object and spatial information and that their maintenance in WM is likely subserved by different neural systems.
KW - fMRI
KW - Object working memory
KW - Prefrontal cortex
KW - Spatial working memory
KW - Task repetition
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33645712213&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/cercor/bhj007
DO - 10.1093/cercor/bhj007
M3 - Article
C2 - 16079245
AN - SCOPUS:33645712213
VL - 16
SP - 609
EP - 617
JO - Cerebral Cortex
JF - Cerebral Cortex
SN - 1047-3211
IS - 5
ER -