Stable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortex
Working memory (WM) provides the stability necessary for high-level cognition. Influential theories typically assume that WM depends on the persistence of stable neural representations, yet increasing evidence suggests that neural states are highly dynamic. Here we apply multivariate pattern analysi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
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Society for Neuroscience
2017
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| _version_ | 1797105885253730304 |
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| author | Spaak, E Watanabe, K Funahashi, S Stokes, M |
| author_facet | Spaak, E Watanabe, K Funahashi, S Stokes, M |
| author_sort | Spaak, E |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Working memory (WM) provides the stability necessary for high-level cognition. Influential theories typically assume that WM depends on the persistence of stable neural representations, yet increasing evidence suggests that neural states are highly dynamic. Here we apply multivariate pattern analysis to explore the population dynamics in primate lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) during three variants of the classic memory-guided saccade task (recorded in 4 animals). We observed the hallmark of dynamic population coding across key phases of a working memory task: sensory processing, memory encoding, and response execution. Throughout both these dynamic epochs and the memory delay period, however, the neural representational geometry remained stable. We identified two characteristics that jointly explain these dynamics: (1) time-varying changes in the subpopulation of neurons coding for task variables (i.e., dynamic subpopulations); and (2) time-varying selectivity within neurons (i.e., dynamic selectivity). These results indicate that even in a very simple memory-guided saccade task, PFC neurons display complex dynamics to support stable representations for WM. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:53:44Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:fd6a37aa-ad3b-469e-af83-1bd055909a79 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:53:44Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Society for Neuroscience |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:fd6a37aa-ad3b-469e-af83-1bd055909a792022-03-27T13:28:39ZStable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortexJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:fd6a37aa-ad3b-469e-af83-1bd055909a79Symplectic Elements at OxfordSociety for Neuroscience2017Spaak, EWatanabe, KFunahashi, SStokes, MWorking memory (WM) provides the stability necessary for high-level cognition. Influential theories typically assume that WM depends on the persistence of stable neural representations, yet increasing evidence suggests that neural states are highly dynamic. Here we apply multivariate pattern analysis to explore the population dynamics in primate lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) during three variants of the classic memory-guided saccade task (recorded in 4 animals). We observed the hallmark of dynamic population coding across key phases of a working memory task: sensory processing, memory encoding, and response execution. Throughout both these dynamic epochs and the memory delay period, however, the neural representational geometry remained stable. We identified two characteristics that jointly explain these dynamics: (1) time-varying changes in the subpopulation of neurons coding for task variables (i.e., dynamic subpopulations); and (2) time-varying selectivity within neurons (i.e., dynamic selectivity). These results indicate that even in a very simple memory-guided saccade task, PFC neurons display complex dynamics to support stable representations for WM. |
| spellingShingle | Spaak, E Watanabe, K Funahashi, S Stokes, M Stable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortex |
| title | Stable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortex |
| title_full | Stable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortex |
| title_fullStr | Stable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortex |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortex |
| title_short | Stable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortex |
| title_sort | stable and dynamic coding for working memory in primate prefrontal cortex |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT spaake stableanddynamiccodingforworkingmemoryinprimateprefrontalcortex AT watanabek stableanddynamiccodingforworkingmemoryinprimateprefrontalcortex AT funahashis stableanddynamiccodingforworkingmemoryinprimateprefrontalcortex AT stokesm stableanddynamiccodingforworkingmemoryinprimateprefrontalcortex |