Early Top–Down Control of Visual Processing Predicts Working Memory Performance

Abstract

Selective attention confers a behavioral benefit for both perceptual and working memory (WM) performance, often attributed to top-down modulation of sensory neural processing. However, the direct relationship between early activity modulation in sensory cortices during selective encoding and subsequent WM performance has not been established. To explore the influence of selective attention on WM recognition, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to study the temporal dynamics of top-down modulation in a selective, delayed-recognition paradigm. Participants were presented with overlapped, "double-exposed" images of faces and natural scenes, and were instructed to either remember the face or the scene while simultaneously ignoring the other stimulus. Here, we present evidence that the degree to which participants modulate the early P100 (97-129 ms) eventrelated potential (ERP) during selective stimulus encoding significantly correlates with their subsequent WM recognition. These results contribute to our evolving understanding of the mechanistic overlap between attention and memory.

Cognitive training as a resolution for early executive function difficulties in children with intellectual disabilities

“…Instead other domains which have a greater influence on overall cognitive control should be considered. It is possible that attention may be a more apt training domain, predominately because attention skills have been shown to emerge earlier in development and prior to the emergence of WM skills (Gazzaley, Cooney, Rissman, & D'Esposito, 2005;Gazzaley & Nobre, 2012;Rutman, Clapp, Chadick, & Gazzaley, 2010). As previously mentioned, cognitive training has been shown to be most effective when implemented early in development (Wass et al, 2012), and it seems that attention training programs are able to facilitate this early intervention and target a younger age bracket than WM training programs.…”

Normative shifts of cortical mechanisms of encoding contribute to adult age differences in visual–spatial working memory

“…The encoding process directly influences the precision and accuracy of subsequent WM representations (Awh and Vogel, 2008;Rutman et al, 2010). Thus, any constraints at early encoding stages will necessarily affect later maintenance or retrieval processes.…”

A bilateral advantage for maintaining objects in visual short term memory

“…Our most recent findings (Holt & Delvenne, 2014) suggest that those constraints influence the transfer of information into VSTM, revealing a BFA in recall for items that are selectively pre-cued at encoding. Given that selection may also influence the maintenance of information in VSTM (Gazzaley & Nobre, 2012;Rutman et al, 2009;Zanto et al, 2011), the present study investigated whether bilateral items can better survive decay in VSTM relative to unilateral items when attentionally selected at encoding.…”

“…However, since the maintenance of items within VSTM also relies on sustained activity in sensory areas that code the stimuli (Harrison & Tong, 2009;Serences, Ester, Vogel and Awh, 2009;Xing, Ledgeway, McGraw & Schluppeck, 2013), one possibility may be that early modulations in visual sensory areas in response to the pre-cues (e.g. Gazzeley & Nobre, 2012;Rutman et al, 2009;Zanto et al, 2011) influence the persistence of maintenance activity during the retention interval.…”