Stimulus representation in human frontal cortex supports flexible control in working memory.

ABSTRACT: When holding visual information temporarily in working memory (WM), the neural representation of the memorandum is distributed across various cortical regions, including visual and frontal cortices. However, the role of stimulus representation in visual and frontal cortices during WM has been controversial. Here, we tested the hypothesis that stimulus representation persists in the frontal cortex to facilitate flexible control demands in WM. During functional MRI, participants flexibly switched between simple WM maintenance of visual stimulus or more complex rule-based categorization of maintained stimulus on a trial-by-trial basis. Our results demonstrated enhanced stimulus representation in the frontal cortex that tracked demands for active WM control and enhanced stimulus representation

SUBMITTER: Shao Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12021415 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature