Single trial variability in neural activity during a working memory task reveals multiple distinct information processing sequences.
Single trial variability in neural activity during a working memory task reveals multiple distinct information processing sequences.
复制标题
工作记忆任务期间神经活动的单次试验变异性揭示了多个不同的信息处理序列。
DOI:
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119895
复制
发表时间:
2023
期刊:
影响因子:
5.7
通讯作者:
Muldoon,SarahF
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Nakuci,Johan;Covey,ThomasJ;Shucard,JanetL;Shucard,DavidW;Muldoon,SarahF
Successful encoding, maintenance, and retrieval of information stored in working memory requires persistent coordination of activity among multiple brain regions. It is generally assumed that the pattern of such coordinated activity remains consistent for a given task. Thus, to separate this task-relevant signal from noise, multiple trials of the same task are completed, and the neural response is averaged across trials to generate an event-related potential (ERP). However, from trial to trial, the neuronal activity recorded with electroencephalogram (EEG) is actually spatially and temporally diverse, conflicting with the assumption of a single pattern of activity for a given task. Here, we show that variability in neuronal activity among single time-locked trials arises from the presence of multiple forms of stimulus dependent synchronized activity (i.e., distinct ERPs). We develop a data-driven classification method based on community detection to identify three discrete spatio-temporal clusters, or subtypes, of trials with different patterns of activation that are further associated with differences in decision-making processes. These results demonstrate that differences in the patterns of neural activity during working memory tasks represent fluctuations in the engagement of distinct brain networks and cognitive processes, suggesting that the brain can choose from multiple mechanisms to perform a given task.