Brain, Vol. 124, No. 10, 2074-2086,
October 2001
© 2001 Oxford University Press
Prefrontal regions involved in keeping information in and out of mind
1 Neurosciences Program 2 Departments of Psychology 3 Radiology, Stanford University, USA
Correspondence to:
Silvia Bunge, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, NE-20, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA E-mail: sbunge{at}psych.stanfordalumni/org
Goal-directed behaviour depends on keeping relevant information in mind (working memory) and irrelevant information out of mind (behavioural inhibition or interference resolution). Prefrontal cortex is essential for working memory and for interference resolution, but it is unknown whether these two mental abilities are mediated by common or distinct prefrontal regions. To address this question, functional MRI was used to identify brain regions activated by separate manipulations of working memory load and interference within a single task (the Sternberg item recognition paradigm). Both load and interference manipulations were associated with performance decrements. Subjects were unaware of the interference manipulation. There was a high degree of overlap between the regions activated by load and interference, which included bilateral ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, anterior cingulate and parietal cortex. Critically, no region was activated exclusively by interference. Several regions within this common network exhibited a brain–behaviour correlation across subjects for the load or interference manipulation. Activation within the right middle frontal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus was correlated with the ability to resolve interference efficiently, but not the ability to manage an increased working memory load efficiently. Conversely, activation of the anterior cingulate was correlated with load susceptibility, but was not correlated with interference susceptibility. These findings suggest that, within the circuitry engaged by this task, some regions are more critically involved in the resolution of interference whereas others are more involved in the resolution of an increase in load. The anterior cingulate was engaged to a greater extent by the load than interference manipulation, suggesting that this region, which is thought to be involved in detecting the need for greater allocation of attentional resources, may be particularly implicated during awareness of the need for cognitive control. In the present study, interference resolution did not involve recruitment of additional inhibitory circuitry, but was instead mediated by a subset of the neural system supporting working memory.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  K. N. Ochsner, J. Zaki, J. Hanelin, D. H. Ludlow, K. Knierim, T. Ramachandran, G. H. Glover, and S. C. Mackey Your pain or mine? Common and distinct neural systems supporting the perception of pain in self and other Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, June 1, 2008; 3(2): 144 - 160. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
N. A. S. Farb, Z. V. Segal, H. Mayberg, J. Bean, D. McKeon, Z. Fatima, and A. K. Anderson Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, December 1, 2007; 2(4): 313 - 322. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. Baron Short, S. Kose, Q. Mu, J. Borckardt, A. Newberg, M. S. George, and F. A. Kozel Regional Brain Activation During Meditation Shows Time and Practice Effects: An Exploratory FMRI Study{dagger} Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., October 27, 2007; (2007) nem163v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. Maihofner, R. Baron, R. DeCol, A. Binder, F. Birklein, G. Deuschl, H. O. Handwerker, and J. Schattschneider The motor system shows adaptive changes in complex regional pain syndrome Brain, October 1, 2007; 130(10): 2671 - 2687. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. A. White Inhibitory Control of Proactive Interference in Adults With ADHD J Atten Disord, September 1, 2007; 11(2): 141 - 149. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. R. Postle and M. Hamidi Nonvisual Codes and Nonvisual Brain Areas Support Visual Working Memory Cereb Cortex, September 1, 2007; 17(9): 2151 - 2162. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. S. Blumenfeld and C. Ranganath Prefrontal Cortex and Long-Term Memory Encoding: An Integrative Review of Findings from Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging Neuroscientist, June 1, 2007; 13(3): 280 - 291. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. Kalisch, K. Wiech, K. Herrmann, and R. J. Dolan Neural Correlates of Self-distraction from Anxiety and a Process Model of Cognitive Emotion Regulation. J. Cogn. Neurosci., August 1, 2006; 18(8): 1266 - 1276. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Genovesio, P. J. Brasted, and S. P. Wise Representation of future and previous spatial goals by separate neural populations in prefrontal cortex. J. Neurosci., July 5, 2006; 26(27): 7305 - 7316. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. A. Crone, C. Wendelken, S. E. Donohue, and S. A. Bunge Neural Evidence for Dissociable Components of Task-switching Cereb Cortex, April 1, 2006; 16(4): 475 - 486. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. P. Kan, J. W. Kable, A. Van Scoyoc, A. Chatterjee, and S. L. Thompson-Schill Fractionating the left frontal response to tools: dissociable effects of motor experience and lexical competition. J. Cogn. Neurosci., February 1, 2006; 18(2): 267 - 277. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Kong, R. L. Gollub, I. S. Rosman, J. M. Webb, M. G. Vangel, I. Kirsch, and T. J. Kaptchuk Brain Activity Associated with Expectancy-Enhanced Placebo Analgesia as Measured by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging J. Neurosci., January 11, 2006; 26(2): 381 - 388. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. M. Dockree, F. M. O'Keeffe, P. Moloney, A. J. Bishara, S. Carton, L. L. Jacoby, and I. H. Robertson Capture by misleading information and its false acceptance in patients with traumatic brain injury Brain, January 1, 2006; 129(1): 128 - 140. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Badre and A. D. Wagner Frontal Lobe Mechanisms that Resolve Proactive Interference Cereb Cortex, December 1, 2005; 15(12): 2003 - 2012. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. W. de Fockert Keeping Priorities: The Role of Working Memory and Selective Attention in Cognitive Aging Sci. Aging Knowl. Environ., November 2, 2005; 2005(44): pe34 - pe34. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. F. Doeller, B. Opitz, C. M. Krick, A. Mecklinger, and W. Reith Prefrontal-hippocampal dynamics involved in learning regularities across episodes Cereb Cortex, August 1, 2005; 15(8): 1123 - 1133. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Wang, I. Ulbert, D. L. Schomer, K. Marinkovic, and E. Halgren Responses of Human Anterior Cingulate Cortex Microdomains to Error Detection, Conflict Monitoring, Stimulus-Response Mapping, Familiarity, and Orienting J. Neurosci., January 19, 2005; 25(3): 604 - 613. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Sarter, C. L Nelson, and J. P Bruno Cortical Cholinergic Transmission and Cortical Information Processing in Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, January 1, 2005; 31(1): 117 - 138. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Hester and H. Garavan Executive Dysfunction in Cocaine Addiction: Evidence for Discordant Frontal, Cingulate, and Cerebellar Activity J. Neurosci., December 8, 2004; 24(49): 11017 - 11022. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Constantinidis and X.-J. Wang A Neural Circuit Basis for Spatial Working Memory Neuroscientist, December 1, 2004; 10(6): 553 - 565. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. N. Ochsner, K. Knierim, D. H. Ludlow, J. Hanelin, T. Ramachandran, G. Glover, and S. C. Mackey Reflecting upon Feelings: An fMRI Study of Neural Systems Supporting the Attribution of Emotion to Self and Other J. Cogn. Neurosci., December 1, 2004; 16(10): 1746 - 1772. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. R. Cardillo, J. Aydelott, P. M. Matthews, and J. T. Devlin Left Inferior Prefrontal Cortex Activity Reflects Inhibitory Rather Than Facilitatory Priming J. Cogn. Neurosci., November 1, 2004; 16(9): 1552 - 1561. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. R. Ridderinkhof, M. Ullsperger, E. A. Crone, and S. Nieuwenhuis The Role of the Medial Frontal Cortex in Cognitive Control Science, October 15, 2004; 306(5695): 443 - 447. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Sakai and R. E. Passingham Prefrontal Selection and Medial Temporal Lobe Reactivation in Retrieval of Short-term Verbal Information Cereb Cortex, August 1, 2004; 14(8): 914 - 921. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Fornito, M. Yucel, S. Wood, G. W. Stuart, J.-A. Buchanan, T. Proffitt, V. Anderson, D. Velakoulis, and C. Pantelis Individual Differences in Anterior Cingulate/Paracingulate Morphology Are Related to Executive Functions in Healthy Males Cereb Cortex, April 1, 2004; 14(4): 424 - 431. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. C. Anderson, K. N. Ochsner, B. Kuhl, J. Cooper, E. Robertson, S. W. Gabrieli, G. H. Glover, and J. D. E. Gabrieli Neural Systems Underlying the Suppression of Unwanted Memories Science, January 9, 2004; 303(5655): 232 - 235. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. W. Howard, D. S. Rizzuto, J. B. Caplan, J. R. Madsen, J. Lisman, R. Aschenbrenner-Scheibe, A. Schulze-Bonhage, and M. J. Kahana Gamma Oscillations Correlate with Working Memory Load in Humans Cereb Cortex, December 1, 2003; 13(12): 1369 - 1374. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. Ganis, S.M. Kosslyn, S. Stose, W.L. Thompson, and D.A. Yurgelun-Todd Neural Correlates of Different Types of Deception: An fMRI Investigation Cereb Cortex, August 1, 2003; 13(8): 830 - 836. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. S. Bagary, M. R. Symms, G. J. Barker, S. H. Mutsatsa, E. M. Joyce, and M. A. Ron Gray and White Matter Brain Abnormalities in First-Episode Schizophrenia Inferred From Magnetization Transfer Imaging Arch Gen Psychiatry, August 1, 2003; 60(8): 779 - 788. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Lorenz, S. Minoshima, and K. L. Casey Keeping pain out of mind: the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in pain modulation Brain, May 1, 2003; 126(5): 1079 - 1091. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. A. Kensinger, R. J. Clarke, and S. Corkin What Neural Correlates Underlie Successful Encoding and Retrieval? A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Using a Divided Attention Paradigm J. Neurosci., March 15, 2003; 23(6): 2407 - 2415. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. N. Ochsner, S. A. Bunge, J. J. Gross, and J. D. E. Gabrieli Rethinking Feelings: An fMRI Study of the Cognitive Regulation of Emotion J. Cogn. Neurosci., November 1, 2002; 14(8): 1215 - 1229. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J.-C. Dreher and K. F. Berman Fractionating the neural substrate of cognitive control processes PNAS, October 29, 2002; 99(22): 14595 - 14600. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|