The effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memory
It is proposed that feedback signals from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to extrastriate cortex are essential for goal-directed processing, maintenance, and selection of information in visual working memory (VWM). In a previous study, we found that disruption of PFC function with transcranial magnetic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnsys.2015.00169/full |
| _version_ | 1818453367926554624 |
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| author | Elizabeth S Lorenc Taraz G Lee Anthony J.-W. Chen Anthony J.-W. Chen Anthony J.-W. Chen Mark eD'Esposito Mark eD'Esposito Mark eD'Esposito |
| author_facet | Elizabeth S Lorenc Taraz G Lee Anthony J.-W. Chen Anthony J.-W. Chen Anthony J.-W. Chen Mark eD'Esposito Mark eD'Esposito Mark eD'Esposito |
| author_sort | Elizabeth S Lorenc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It is proposed that feedback signals from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to extrastriate cortex are essential for goal-directed processing, maintenance, and selection of information in visual working memory (VWM). In a previous study, we found that disruption of PFC function with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in healthy individuals impaired behavioral performance on a face/scene matching task and decreased category-specific tuning in extrastriate cortex as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this study, we investigated the effect of disruption of left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) function on the fidelity of neural representations of two distinct information codes: (1) the stimulus category and (2) the goal-relevance of viewed stimuli. During fMRI scanning, subjects were presented face and scene images in pseudo-random order and instructed to remember either faces or scenes. Within both anatomical and functional regions of interest, a multi-voxel pattern classifier was used to quantitatively assess the fidelity of activity patterns representing stimulus category: whether a face or a scene was presented on each trial, and goal relevance, whether the presented image was task relevant (i.e. a face is relevant in a Remember Faces block, but irrelevant in a Remember Scenes block). We found a reduction in the fidelity of the stimulus category code in visual cortex after left IFG disruption, providing causal evidence that lateral PFC modulates object category codes in visual cortex during VWM. In addition, we found that IFG disruption caused a reduction in the fidelity of the goal relevance code in a distributed set of brain regions. These results suggest that the IFG is involved in determining the task-relevance of visual input and communicating that information to a network of regions involved in further processing during VWM. Finally, we found that participants who exhibited greater fidelity of the goal relevance code in the non-disrupted right IFG after TMS performed the task with the highest accuracy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T21:37:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d8bdd863d2534811ac84f746c8376131 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5137 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T21:37:52Z |
| publishDate | 2015-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-d8bdd863d2534811ac84f746c83761312022-12-21T22:46:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience1662-51372015-12-01910.3389/fnsys.2015.00169168936The effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memoryElizabeth S Lorenc0Taraz G Lee1Anthony J.-W. Chen2Anthony J.-W. Chen3Anthony J.-W. Chen4Mark eD'Esposito5Mark eD'Esposito6Mark eD'Esposito7University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of MichiganUniversity of California, BerkeleyVeterans Administration Northern California Health Care System, MartinezUniversity of California, San FranciscoUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyVeterans Administration Northern California Health Care System, MartinezIt is proposed that feedback signals from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to extrastriate cortex are essential for goal-directed processing, maintenance, and selection of information in visual working memory (VWM). In a previous study, we found that disruption of PFC function with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in healthy individuals impaired behavioral performance on a face/scene matching task and decreased category-specific tuning in extrastriate cortex as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this study, we investigated the effect of disruption of left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) function on the fidelity of neural representations of two distinct information codes: (1) the stimulus category and (2) the goal-relevance of viewed stimuli. During fMRI scanning, subjects were presented face and scene images in pseudo-random order and instructed to remember either faces or scenes. Within both anatomical and functional regions of interest, a multi-voxel pattern classifier was used to quantitatively assess the fidelity of activity patterns representing stimulus category: whether a face or a scene was presented on each trial, and goal relevance, whether the presented image was task relevant (i.e. a face is relevant in a Remember Faces block, but irrelevant in a Remember Scenes block). We found a reduction in the fidelity of the stimulus category code in visual cortex after left IFG disruption, providing causal evidence that lateral PFC modulates object category codes in visual cortex during VWM. In addition, we found that IFG disruption caused a reduction in the fidelity of the goal relevance code in a distributed set of brain regions. These results suggest that the IFG is involved in determining the task-relevance of visual input and communicating that information to a network of regions involved in further processing during VWM. Finally, we found that participants who exhibited greater fidelity of the goal relevance code in the non-disrupted right IFG after TMS performed the task with the highest accuracy.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnsys.2015.00169/fullExecutive FunctionPrefrontal CortexTranscranial Magnetic Stimulationselective attentionfunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)visual working memory |
| spellingShingle | Elizabeth S Lorenc Taraz G Lee Anthony J.-W. Chen Anthony J.-W. Chen Anthony J.-W. Chen Mark eD'Esposito Mark eD'Esposito Mark eD'Esposito The effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memory Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience Executive Function Prefrontal Cortex Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation selective attention functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) visual working memory |
| title | The effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memory |
| title_full | The effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memory |
| title_fullStr | The effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memory |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memory |
| title_short | The effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memory |
| title_sort | effect of disruption of prefrontal cortical function with transcranial magnetic stimulation on visual working memory |
| topic | Executive Function Prefrontal Cortex Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation selective attention functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) visual working memory |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnsys.2015.00169/full |
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