Bahmani Zahra, Clark Kelsey, Merrikhi Yaser, Mueller Adrienne, Pettine Warren, Isabel Vanegas M, Moore Tirin, Noudoost Behrad
School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2019;41:129-153. doi: 10.1007/7854_2018_74.
The processes of attention and working memory are conspicuously interlinked, suggesting that they may involve overlapping neural mechanisms. Working memory (WM) is the ability to maintain information in the absence of sensory input. Attention is the process by which a specific target is selected for further processing, and neural resources directed toward that target. The content of WM can be used to direct attention, and attention can in turn determine which information is encoded into WM. Here we discuss the similarities between attention and WM and the role prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays in each. First, at the theoretical level, we describe how attention and WM can both rely on models based on attractor states. Then we review the evidence for an overlap between the areas involved in both functions, especially the frontal eye field (FEF) portion of the prefrontal cortex. We also discuss similarities between the neural changes in visual areas observed during attention and WM. At the cellular level, we review the literature on the role of prefrontal DA in both attention and WM at the behavioral and neural levels. Finally, we summarize the anatomical evidence for an overlap between prefrontal mechanisms involved in attention and WM. Altogether, a summary of pharmacological, electrophysiological, behavioral, and anatomical evidence for a contribution of the FEF part of prefrontal cortex to attention and WM is provided.
注意力和工作记忆的过程明显相互关联，这表明它们可能涉及重叠的神经机制。工作记忆（WM）是在没有感觉输入的情况下保持信息的能力。注意力是选择特定目标进行进一步处理并将神经资源导向该目标的过程。工作记忆的内容可用于引导注意力，而注意力反过来又可以决定哪些信息被编码到工作记忆中。在这里，我们讨论注意力和工作记忆之间的相似之处以及前额叶皮层（PFC）在其中各自所起的作用。首先，在理论层面，我们描述注意力和工作记忆如何都可以依赖基于吸引子状态的模型。然后我们回顾这两种功能所涉及区域之间存在重叠的证据，特别是前额叶皮层的额叶眼区（FEF）部分。我们还讨论在注意力和工作记忆过程中视觉区域观察到的神经变化之间的相似之处。在细胞层面，我们回顾关于前额叶多巴胺在行为和神经层面上对注意力和工作记忆作用的文献。最后，我们总结前额叶参与注意力和工作记忆机制之间存在重叠的解剖学证据。总之，本文提供了前额叶皮层FEF部分对注意力和工作记忆有贡献的确药理学、电生理学、行为学和解剖学证据的总结。
