Vicentin Stefano, Cona Giorgia, Marino Marco, Bisiacchi Patrizia, Mantini Dante, Arcara Giorgio
Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Padova Neuroscience Center, Padua, Italy.
PLoS One. 2025 Feb 25;20(2):e0319213. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319213. eCollection 2025.
Prospective Memory (PM) is the ability to encode an intention in memory and retrieve it at the right time in the future. After the intention is formed, it must be maintained in memory while simultaneously monitoring the environment until the occurrence of the stimulus associated with its retrieval. Therefore, monitoring and maintenance processes must work in conjunction to subserve PM processing (monitoring/maintenance phase). Several brain regions play a role in PM, such as the anterior prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobules, and precuneus. Notably, these regions belong to different brain networks and are differently involved depending on the memory and attentional requests of the PM task. In this study, we investigate the neural bases of PM from a network perspective, using functional connectivity (FC) analysis to identify the networks involved in the attentional and memory mechanisms underlying PM. To this end, we analyzed MEG data collected in two different PM conditions, enhancing either the monitoring (i.e., attention) or the maintenance (i.e., memory) loads of the PM task. To disentangle the neural correlates of these mechanisms from other processes occurring after stimulus presentation, the analysis focused on the prestimulus time window (monitoring/maintenance phase). The monitoring-load condition was characterized by increased inter-network FC of the Dorsal Attention Network (DAN) in the alpha band, a marker of increased top-down monitoring. In contrast, the maintenance-load condition was associated with increased connectivity of the Ventral Attention Network (VAN) with the FrontoParietal Control and the Default-Mode Networks (FPCN and DMN, respectively). Additionally, response times were found to correlate with prestimulus alpha connectivity of different networks in the two conditions. These differences in connectivity within and between networks support the hypothesis that different networks (DAN, or VAN and DMN) and mechanisms (top-down or bottom-up, respectively) are involved in PM processing depending on the features of the PM task.
前瞻性记忆（PM）是一种在记忆中编码意图并在未来适当时间检索该意图的能力。在意图形成后，它必须在记忆中保持，同时监测环境，直到与检索相关的刺激出现。因此，监测和维持过程必须协同工作以支持PM处理（监测/维持阶段）。几个脑区在PM中发挥作用，如前额叶前部皮质、顶下小叶和楔前叶。值得注意的是，这些区域属于不同的脑网络，并且根据PM任务的记忆和注意力需求而有不同程度的参与。在本研究中，我们从网络角度研究PM的神经基础，使用功能连接（FC）分析来识别参与PM潜在注意力和记忆机制的网络。为此，我们分析了在两种不同的PM条件下收集的脑磁图（MEG）数据，分别增强了PM任务的监测（即注意力）或维持（即记忆）负荷。为了将这些机制的神经关联与刺激呈现后发生的其他过程区分开来，分析集中在前刺激时间窗口（监测/维持阶段）。监测负荷条件的特征是背侧注意网络（DAN）在α波段的网络间FC增加，这是自上而下监测增加的一个标志。相比之下，维持负荷条件与腹侧注意网络（VAN）与额顶控制网络和默认模式网络（分别为FPCN和DMN）的连接增加有关。此外，发现反应时间与两种条件下不同网络的前刺激α连接性相关。网络内部和网络之间连接性的这些差异支持了这样的假设，即根据PM任务的特征，不同的网络（DAN或VAN和DMN）和机制（分别为自上而下或自下而上）参与PM处理。
