Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Nat Neurosci. 2011 May;14(5):656-61. doi: 10.1038/nn.2773. Epub 2011 Mar 27.
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 functional connectivity displayed greater disruptive effects. Our data further suggests that broad alpha-band (7-14 Hz) phase coherence subserved this long-distance top-down modulation. These results suggest that top-down modulation mediated by the prefrontal cortex is a causal link between early attentional processes and subsequent memory performance.
选择性注意过滤信息，以限制在工作记忆中编码和维持的信息。虽然前额叶皮层（PFC）是选择性注意和工作记忆的核心，但将这些认知能力联系起来的潜在神经过程仍然难以捉摸。我们使用功能磁共振成像引导经颅重复磁刺激和脑电图记录在人类中，在参与者执行选择性注意、延迟识别任务之前，我们在前额下连接点扰乱了 PFC 功能。这导致在早期编码阶段，后部皮层的自上而下的调节活动减少，这预示着随后工作记忆准确性的下降。具有更强的额-后功能连接的参与者表现出更大的干扰效应。我们的数据进一步表明，宽频带（7-14 Hz）alpha 波段相位相干性支持这种远距离的自上而下的调节。这些结果表明，由前额叶皮层介导的自上而下的调节是早期注意力过程与随后的记忆表现之间的因果联系。
