Item-specific delay activity demonstrates concurrent storage of multiple active neural representations in working memory.

ABSTRACT: Persistent neural activity that encodes online mental representations plays a central role in working memory (WM). However, there has been debate regarding the number of items that can be concurrently represented in this active neural state, which is often called the "focus of attention." Some models propose a strict single-item limit, such that just 1 item can be neurally active at once while other items are relegated to an activity-silent state. Although past studies have decoded multiple items stored in WM, these studies cannot rule out a switching account in which only a single item is actively represented at a time. Here, we directly tested whether multiple representations can be held concurrently in an active state. We tracked spatial representations in WM using alpha-band (8-12 Hz)

SUBMITTER: Sutterer DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6505953 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature