Causal role of the prefrontal cortex in top-down modulation of visual processing and working memory.

ABSTRACT: Selective attention filters information to limit what is encoded and maintained in working memory. Although the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is central to both selective attention and working memory, the underlying neural processes that link these cognitive abilities remain elusive. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging to guide repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with electroencephalographic recordings in humans, we perturbed PFC function at the inferior frontal junction in participants before they performed a selective-attention, delayed-recognition task. This resulted in diminished top-down modulation of activity in posterior cortex during early encoding stages, which predicted a subsequent decrement in working memory accuracy. Participants with stronger fronto-posterior funct

SUBMITTER: Zanto TP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3083493 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature