Theoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural states
Working memory (WM) is important for guiding behaviour, but not always for the next possible action. Here we define a WM item that is currently relevant for guiding behaviour as the functionally ‘active’ item; whereas items maintained in WM, but not immediately relevant to behaviour, are defined as...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor and Francis
2020
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| _version_ | 1797097583317876736 |
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| author | Stokes, MG Muhle-Karbe, PS Myers, NE |
| author_facet | Stokes, MG Muhle-Karbe, PS Myers, NE |
| author_sort | Stokes, MG |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Working memory (WM) is important for guiding behaviour, but not always for the next possible action. Here we define a WM item that is currently relevant for guiding behaviour as the functionally ‘active’ item; whereas items maintained in WM, but not immediately relevant to behaviour, are defined as functionally ‘latent’. Traditional neurophysiological theories of WM proposed that content is maintained via persistent neural activity (e.g., stable attractors); however, more recent theories have highlighted the potential role for ‘activity-silent’ mechanisms (e.g., short-term synaptic plasticity). Given these
somewhat parallel dichotomies, functionally active and latent cognitive states of WM have been associated with storage based on persistent-activity and activity-silent neural mechanisms, respectively. However, in this article we caution against a one-to-one correspondence between functional and activity states. We argue that the principal theoretical requirement for active and latent WM is that the corresponding neural states play qualitatively different functional roles. We consider a number of candidate solutions, and conclude that the neurophysiological mechanisms for functionally active and latent WM items are theoretically independent of the distinction between persistent activity-based and activity-silent forms of WM storage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T04:57:38Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:d7254bbc-cb68-4f5f-9fab-4910066f154b |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T04:57:38Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:d7254bbc-cb68-4f5f-9fab-4910066f154b2022-03-27T08:39:02ZTheoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural statesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:d7254bbc-cb68-4f5f-9fab-4910066f154bEnglishSymplectic ElementsTaylor and Francis2020Stokes, MGMuhle-Karbe, PSMyers, NEWorking memory (WM) is important for guiding behaviour, but not always for the next possible action. Here we define a WM item that is currently relevant for guiding behaviour as the functionally ‘active’ item; whereas items maintained in WM, but not immediately relevant to behaviour, are defined as functionally ‘latent’. Traditional neurophysiological theories of WM proposed that content is maintained via persistent neural activity (e.g., stable attractors); however, more recent theories have highlighted the potential role for ‘activity-silent’ mechanisms (e.g., short-term synaptic plasticity). Given these somewhat parallel dichotomies, functionally active and latent cognitive states of WM have been associated with storage based on persistent-activity and activity-silent neural mechanisms, respectively. However, in this article we caution against a one-to-one correspondence between functional and activity states. We argue that the principal theoretical requirement for active and latent WM is that the corresponding neural states play qualitatively different functional roles. We consider a number of candidate solutions, and conclude that the neurophysiological mechanisms for functionally active and latent WM items are theoretically independent of the distinction between persistent activity-based and activity-silent forms of WM storage. |
| spellingShingle | Stokes, MG Muhle-Karbe, PS Myers, NE Theoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural states |
| title | Theoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural states |
| title_full | Theoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural states |
| title_fullStr | Theoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural states |
| title_full_unstemmed | Theoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural states |
| title_short | Theoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural states |
| title_sort | theoretical distinction between functional states in working memory and their corresponding neural states |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stokesmg theoreticaldistinctionbetweenfunctionalstatesinworkingmemoryandtheircorrespondingneuralstates AT muhlekarbeps theoreticaldistinctionbetweenfunctionalstatesinworkingmemoryandtheircorrespondingneuralstates AT myersne theoreticaldistinctionbetweenfunctionalstatesinworkingmemoryandtheircorrespondingneuralstates |