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Wang H, Pan X, Wang J, Sun M, Wu C, Yu Q, Liu Z, Chen T, Liu Y. Dual functional states of working memory realized by memristor-based neural network. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1192993. [PMID: 37351423 PMCID: PMC10282152 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1192993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Working memory refers to the brain's ability to store and manipulate information for a short period. It is disputably considered to rely on two mechanisms: sustained neuronal firing, and "activity-silent" working memory. To develop a highly biologically plausible neuromorphic computing system, it is anticipated to physically realize working memory that corresponds to both of these mechanisms. In this study, we propose a memristor-based neural network to realize the sustained neural firing and activity-silent working memory, which are reflected as dual functional states within memory. Memristor-based synapses and two types of artificial neurons are designed for the Winner-Takes-All learning rule. During the cognitive task, state transformation between the "focused" state and the "unfocused" state of working memory is demonstrated. This work paves the way for further emulating the complex working memory functions with distinct neural activities in our brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongzhe Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xinqiang Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Junjie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Mingyuan Sun
- Beijing China Changfeng Electromechanical Technology Research and Design Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Chuangui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Qi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhen Liu
- School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tupei Chen
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Deepcreatic Technologies Ltd., Chengdu, China
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2
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Rhilinger JP, Xu C, Rose NS. Are irrelevant items actively deleted from visual working memory?: No evidence from repulsion and attraction effects in dual-retrocue tasks. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023:10.3758/s13414-023-02724-2. [PMID: 37226042 PMCID: PMC10208559 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02724-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Some theories propose that working memory (WM) involves the active deletion of irrelevant information, including items that were retained in WM, but are no longer relevant for ongoing cognition. Considerable evidence suggests that active-deletion occurs for categorical representations, but whether it also occurs for recall of features that are typically bound together in an object, such as line orientations, is unclear. In two experiments, with or without binding instructions, healthy young adults maintained two orientations, focused attention to recall the orientation cued first, and then switched attention to recall the orientation cued second, at which point the uncued orientation was no longer relevant on the trial. In contrast to the active-deletion hypothesis, the results showed that the no-longer-relevant items exerted the strongest bias on participants' recall, which was either repulsive or attractive depending on both the degree of difference between the target and nontarget orientations and the proximity to cardinal axes. We suggest that visual WM can bind features like line orientations into chunked representations, and an irrelevant feature of a chunked object cannot be actively deleted - it biases recall of the target feature. Models of WM need to be updated to explain this and related dynamic phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua P Rhilinger
- University of Notre Dame, 390 Corbett Family Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Chenlingxi Xu
- University of Notre Dame, 390 Corbett Family Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Nathan S Rose
- University of Notre Dame, 390 Corbett Family Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
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3
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Pavlov YG, Kotchoubey B. Temporally distinct oscillatory codes of retention and manipulation of verbal working memory. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:6497-6511. [PMID: 34514642 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Most psychophysiological studies of working memory (WM) target only the short-term memory construct, whereas short-term memory is only a part of the WM responsible for the storage of sensory information. Here, we aimed to further investigate oscillatory brain mechanisms supporting the executive components of WM-the part responsible for the manipulation of information. We conducted an exploratory reanalysis of a previously published EEG dataset where 156 participants (82 females) performed tasks requiring either simple retention or retention and manipulation of verbal information in WM. A relatively long delay period (>6 s) was employed to investigate the temporal trajectory of the oscillatory brain activity. Compared with baseline, theta activity was significantly enhanced during encoding and the delay period. Alpha-band power decreased during encoding and switched to an increase in the first part of the delay before returning to the baseline in the second part; beta-band power remained below baseline during encoding and the delay. The difference between the manipulation and retention tasks in spectral power had diverse temporal trajectories in different frequency bands. The difference maintained over encoding and the first part of the delay in theta, during the first part of the delay in beta, and during the whole delay period in alpha. Our results suggest that task-related modulations in theta power co-vary with the demands on the executive control network; beta suppression during mental manipulation can be related to the activation of motor networks; and alpha is likely to reflect the activation of language areas simultaneously with sensory input blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri G Pavlov
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Boris Kotchoubey
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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4
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Scott GA, Liu MC, Tahir NB, Zabder NK, Song Y, Greba Q, Howland JG. Roles of the medial prefrontal cortex, mediodorsal thalamus, and their combined circuit for performance of the odor span task in rats: analysis of memory capacity and foraging behavior. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:67-77. [PMID: 31949038 PMCID: PMC6970426 DOI: 10.1101/lm.050195.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Working memory (WM), the capacity for short-term storage of small quantities of information for immediate use, is thought to depend on activity within the prefrontal cortex. Recent evidence indicates that the prefrontal neuronal activity supporting WM is driven by thalamocortical connections arising in mediodorsal thalamus (mdThal). However, the role of these connections has not been studied using olfactory stimuli leaving open the question of whether this circuit extends to all sensory modalities. Additionally, manipulations of the mdThal in olfactory memory tasks have yielded mixed results. In the present experiment, we investigated the role of connections between the rat medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and mdThal in the odor span task (OST) using a pharmacological contralateral disconnection technique. Inactivation of either the mPFC or mdThal alone both significantly impaired memory performance in the OST, replicating previous findings with the mPFC and confirming that the mdThal plays an essential role in intact OST performance. Contralateral disconnection of the two structures impaired OST performance in support of the idea that the OST relies on mPFC-mdThal connections, but ipsilateral control infusions also impaired performance, complicating this interpretation. We also performed a detailed analysis of rats’ errors and foraging behavior and found a dissociation between mPFC and mdThal inactivation conditions. Inactivation of the mdThal and mPFC caused a significant reduction in the number of approaches rats made per odor, whereas only mdThal inactivation or mPFC-mdThal disconnection caused significant increases in choice latency. Our results confirm that the mdThal is necessary for performance of the OST and that it may critically interact with the mPFC to mediate OST performance. Additionally, we have provided evidence that the mPFC and mdThal play dissociable roles in mediating foraging behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin A Scott
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Max C Liu
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Nimra B Tahir
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Nadine K Zabder
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Yuanyi Song
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Quentin Greba
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
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5
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Trübutschek D, Marti S, Ueberschär H, Dehaene S. Probing the limits of activity-silent non-conscious working memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:14358-14367. [PMID: 31243145 PMCID: PMC6628638 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1820730116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Two types of working memory (WM) have recently been proposed: (i) active WM, relying on sustained neural firing, and (ii) activity-silent WM, for which firing returns to baseline, yet memories may be retained by short-term synaptic changes. Activity-silent WM in particular might also underlie the recently discovered phenomenon of non-conscious WM, which permits even subliminal stimuli to be stored for several seconds. However, whether both states support identical forms of information processing is unknown. Theory predicts that activity-silent states are confined to passive storage and cannot operate on stored information. To determine whether an explicit reactivation is required before the manipulation of information in WM, we evaluated whether participants could mentally rotate brief visual stimuli of variable subjective visibility. Behaviorally, even for unseen targets, subjects reported the rotated location above chance after several seconds. As predicted, however, at the time of mental rotation, such blindsight performance was accompanied by (i) neural signatures of consciousness in the form of a sustained desynchronization in alpha/beta frequency and (ii) a reactivation of the memorized information as indicated by decodable representations of participants' guess and response. Our findings challenge the concept of genuine non-conscious "working" memory, argue that activity-silent states merely support passive short-term memory, and provide a cautionary note for purely behavioral studies of non-conscious information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darinka Trübutschek
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique DSV/I2BM, INSERM, NeuroSpin Center, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France;
- Ecole des Neurosciences de Paris Ile-de-France, 75006 Paris, France
- Ecole Doctorale Cerveau-Cognition-Comportement, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Marti
- Ecole Doctorale Cerveau-Cognition-Comportement, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Henrik Ueberschär
- Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Ecole Doctorale Cerveau-Cognition-Comportement, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France;
- Collège de France, 75005 Paris, France
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6
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Manohar SG, Zokaei N, Fallon SJ, Vogels TP, Husain M. Neural mechanisms of attending to items in working memory. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 101:1-12. [PMID: 30922977 PMCID: PMC6525322 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Working memory, the ability to keep recently accessed information available for immediate manipulation, has been proposed to rely on two mechanisms that appear difficult to reconcile: self-sustained neural firing, or the opposite-activity-silent synaptic traces. Here we review and contrast models of these two mechanisms, and then show that both phenomena can co-exist within a unified system in which neurons hold information in both activity and synapses. Rapid plasticity in flexibly-coding neurons allows features to be bound together into objects, with an important emergent property being the focus of attention. One memory item is held by persistent activity in an attended or "focused" state, and is thus remembered better than other items. Other, previously attended items can remain in memory but in the background, encoded in activity-silent synaptic traces. This dual functional architecture provides a unified common mechanism accounting for a diversity of perplexing attention and memory effects that have been hitherto difficult to explain in a single theoretical framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay G Manohar
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom.
| | - Nahid Zokaei
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sean J Fallon
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Tim P Vogels
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Masud Husain
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
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7
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Trübutschek D, Marti S, Dehaene S. Temporal-order information can be maintained in non-conscious working memory. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6484. [PMID: 31019199 PMCID: PMC6482300 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42942-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical theories hold conscious perception and working memory to be tightly interwoven. Recent work has challenged this assumption, demonstrating that information may be stored for several seconds without any subjective awareness. Does such non-conscious working memory possess the same functional properties as conscious working memory? Here, we probe whether non-conscious working memory can maintain multiple items and their temporal order. In a visual masking task with a delayed response, 38 participants were asked to retain the location and order of presentation of two sequentially flashed spatial positions, and retrieve both after a 2.5 second delay. Even when subjective visibility was nil, subjects' objective forced-choice performance exceeded chance level and, crucially, distinct retrieval of the first and second location was observed on both conscious and non-conscious trials. Non-conscious working memory may therefore store two items in proper temporal order. These findings can be explained by recent models of activity-silent working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darinka Trübutschek
- Ecole des Neurosciences de Paris Ile-de-France, 15 rue de l'école de médecine, 75006, Paris, France.
- Sorbonne Université, UPMC Université Paris 06, 4 place Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France.
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin centre, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France.
| | - Sébastien Marti
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin centre, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin centre, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
- Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005, Paris, France
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8
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Chai WJ, Abd Hamid AI, Abdullah JM. Working Memory From the Psychological and Neurosciences Perspectives: A Review. Front Psychol 2018; 9:401. [PMID: 29636715 PMCID: PMC5881171 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the concept of working memory was introduced over 50 years ago, different schools of thought have offered different definitions for working memory based on the various cognitive domains that it encompasses. The general consensus regarding working memory supports the idea that working memory is extensively involved in goal-directed behaviors in which information must be retained and manipulated to ensure successful task execution. Before the emergence of other competing models, the concept of working memory was described by the multicomponent working memory model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch. In the present article, the authors provide an overview of several working memory-relevant studies in order to harmonize the findings of working memory from the neurosciences and psychological standpoints, especially after citing evidence from past studies of healthy, aging, diseased, and/or lesioned brains. In particular, the theoretical framework behind working memory, in which the related domains that are considered to play a part in different frameworks (such as memory’s capacity limit and temporary storage) are presented and discussed. From the neuroscience perspective, it has been established that working memory activates the fronto-parietal brain regions, including the prefrontal, cingulate, and parietal cortices. Recent studies have subsequently implicated the roles of subcortical regions (such as the midbrain and cerebellum) in working memory. Aging also appears to have modulatory effects on working memory; age interactions with emotion, caffeine and hormones appear to affect working memory performances at the neurobiological level. Moreover, working memory deficits are apparent in older individuals, who are susceptible to cognitive deterioration. Another younger population with working memory impairment consists of those with mental, developmental, and/or neurological disorders such as major depressive disorder and others. A less coherent and organized neural pattern has been consistently reported in these disadvantaged groups. Working memory of patients with traumatic brain injury was similarly affected and shown to have unusual neural activity (hyper- or hypoactivation) as a general observation. Decoding the underlying neural mechanisms of working memory helps support the current theoretical understandings concerning working memory, and at the same time provides insights into rehabilitation programs that target working memory impairments from neurophysiological or psychological aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Jia Chai
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia
| | - Aini Ismafairus Abd Hamid
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia.,Center for Neuroscience Services and Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia
| | - Jafri Malin Abdullah
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia.,Center for Neuroscience Services and Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia
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Persuh M, LaRock E, Berger J. Working Memory and Consciousness: The Current State of Play. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:78. [PMID: 29551967 PMCID: PMC5840147 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM), an important posit in cognitive science, allows one to temporarily store and manipulate information in the service of ongoing tasks. WM has been traditionally classified as an explicit memory system-that is, as operating on and maintaining only consciously perceived information. Recently, however, several studies have questioned this assumption, purporting to provide evidence for unconscious WM. In this article, we focus on visual working memory (VWM) and critically examine these studies as well as studies of unconscious perception that seem to provide indirect evidence for unconscious WM. Our analysis indicates that current evidence does not support an unconscious WM store, though we offer independent reasons to think that WM may operate on unconsciously perceived information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjan Persuh
- Department of Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Eric LaRock
- Department of Philosophy, 751 Mathematics and Science Center, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, United States
| | - Jacob Berger
- Department of English and Philosophy, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, United States
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10
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Velichkovsky BB. Consciousness and working memory: Current trends and research perspectives. Conscious Cogn 2017; 55:35-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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