A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study of thalamic load-dependent working memory delay period activity
IntroductionWorking memory (WM) is an essential component of executive functions which depend on maintaining task-related information online for brief periods in both the presence and absence of interfering stimuli. Active maintenance occurs during the WM delay period, the time between stimulus enco...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1132061/full |
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| author | Bernard A. Gomes Chelsea Reichert Plaska Jefferson Ortega Timothy M. Ellmore Timothy M. Ellmore Timothy M. Ellmore |
| author_facet | Bernard A. Gomes Chelsea Reichert Plaska Jefferson Ortega Timothy M. Ellmore Timothy M. Ellmore Timothy M. Ellmore |
| author_sort | Bernard A. Gomes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionWorking memory (WM) is an essential component of executive functions which depend on maintaining task-related information online for brief periods in both the presence and absence of interfering stimuli. Active maintenance occurs during the WM delay period, the time between stimulus encoding and subsequent retrieval. Previous studies have extensively documented prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex activity during the WM delay period, but the role of subcortical structures including the thalamus remains to be fully elucidated, especially in humans.MethodsUsing a simultaneous electroencephalogram (EEG)-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) approach, we investigated the role of the thalamus during the WM delay period in a modified Sternberg paradigm following low and high memory load encoding of naturalistic scenes. During the delay, participants passively viewed scrambled scenes containing similar color and spatial frequency to serve as a perceptual baseline. Individual source estimation was weighted by the location of the thalamic fMRI signal relative to the WM delay period onset.ResultsThe effects memory load on maintenance were observed bilaterally in thalamus with higher EEG source amplitudes in the low compared to high load condition occurring 160–390 ms after the onset of the delay period.ConclusionThe main finding that thalamic activation was elevated during the low compared to high condition despite similar duration of perceptual input and upcoming motor requirements suggests a capacity-limited role for sensory filtering of the thalamus during consolidation of stimuli into WM, where the highest activity occurs when fewer stimuli need to be maintained in the presence of interfering perceptual stimuli during the delay. The results are discussed in the context of theories regarding the role of the thalamus in sensory gating during working memory. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:52:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-346c1b9f5bfc42bb801b1cf0cc58440d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:52:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-346c1b9f5bfc42bb801b1cf0cc58440d2023-02-23T07:20:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532023-02-011710.3389/fnbeh.2023.11320611132061A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study of thalamic load-dependent working memory delay period activityBernard A. Gomes0Chelsea Reichert Plaska1Jefferson Ortega2Timothy M. Ellmore3Timothy M. Ellmore4Timothy M. Ellmore5Program in Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United StatesDoctoral Program in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, The City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United StatesProgram in Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United StatesDoctoral Program in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, The City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United StatesIntroductionWorking memory (WM) is an essential component of executive functions which depend on maintaining task-related information online for brief periods in both the presence and absence of interfering stimuli. Active maintenance occurs during the WM delay period, the time between stimulus encoding and subsequent retrieval. Previous studies have extensively documented prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex activity during the WM delay period, but the role of subcortical structures including the thalamus remains to be fully elucidated, especially in humans.MethodsUsing a simultaneous electroencephalogram (EEG)-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) approach, we investigated the role of the thalamus during the WM delay period in a modified Sternberg paradigm following low and high memory load encoding of naturalistic scenes. During the delay, participants passively viewed scrambled scenes containing similar color and spatial frequency to serve as a perceptual baseline. Individual source estimation was weighted by the location of the thalamic fMRI signal relative to the WM delay period onset.ResultsThe effects memory load on maintenance were observed bilaterally in thalamus with higher EEG source amplitudes in the low compared to high load condition occurring 160–390 ms after the onset of the delay period.ConclusionThe main finding that thalamic activation was elevated during the low compared to high condition despite similar duration of perceptual input and upcoming motor requirements suggests a capacity-limited role for sensory filtering of the thalamus during consolidation of stimuli into WM, where the highest activity occurs when fewer stimuli need to be maintained in the presence of interfering perceptual stimuli during the delay. The results are discussed in the context of theories regarding the role of the thalamus in sensory gating during working memory.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1132061/fullthalamusdelay activityworking memorysimultaneous EEG-fMRIsource estimation |
| spellingShingle | Bernard A. Gomes Chelsea Reichert Plaska Jefferson Ortega Timothy M. Ellmore Timothy M. Ellmore Timothy M. Ellmore A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study of thalamic load-dependent working memory delay period activity Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience thalamus delay activity working memory simultaneous EEG-fMRI source estimation |
| title | A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study of thalamic load-dependent working memory delay period activity |
| title_full | A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study of thalamic load-dependent working memory delay period activity |
| title_fullStr | A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study of thalamic load-dependent working memory delay period activity |
| title_full_unstemmed | A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study of thalamic load-dependent working memory delay period activity |
| title_short | A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study of thalamic load-dependent working memory delay period activity |
| title_sort | simultaneous eeg fmri study of thalamic load dependent working memory delay period activity |
| topic | thalamus delay activity working memory simultaneous EEG-fMRI source estimation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1132061/full |
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