Parietal cortex persistent activity and working memory capacity

顶叶皮层持续活动和工作记忆容量

• 批准号: 227493-2009
• 负责人: Paré, Martin
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=514266
• 关键词: Parietal; cortex; persistent; activity; working

The number of objects that humans can hold simultaneously in memory for a short time (our working memory) is remarkably small. The maximum is thought to be seven, as in the number of digits in a phone number, but the average is about only four! The limited capacity of our working memory depends on neural mechanisms that are distributed in the frontal and parietal lobes of our brain, but the current state of our knowledge is far from complete. On the one hand, only basic memory mechanisms have been studied because there exists no adequate animal model to study working memory capacity. On the other hand, nearly all our knowledge about these basic memory mechanisms has been obtained from studies of the frontal cortex despite all the evidence indicating that the parietal cortex also plays an important role. In this proposal, we will first establish a new animal model to study working memory capacity by adapting a simple procedure that has been extensively used in humans for that purpose. Next, we will study the mostly unexplored neural mechanisms within the parietal cortex by recording the activity of neurons while animals perform this new working memory task. Finally, computer simulations of models built from all the available data will help us formalize our findings and make detailed predictions that can be tested with future experiments. The results of this multi-disciplinary research will have implications for the basic study of information processing taking place within and between neurons within the cerebral cortex, which can be applied to other brain functions, i.e., the limits of our perception and attention. In addition, it will allow students with diverse background - such as biology, psychology, engineering, computer and cognitive science - to gain high quality training in several experimental methods. This research experience will prepare them to enter various areas of research as emerging young leaders, thereby helping to satisfy the increasing demand for highly qualified individuals in academia and industries.

人类能够在短时间内同时记忆的对象（我们的工作记忆）数量非常少。最大值被认为是7，就像电话号码中的数字一样，但平均值只有4！我们工作记忆的有限容量取决于分布在我们大脑额叶和顶叶的神经机制，但我们目前的知识状态还远未完成。一方面，由于没有足够的动物模型来研究工作记忆容量，因此只研究了基本的记忆机制。另一方面，尽管所有的证据都表明顶叶皮层也起着重要作用，但我们对这些基本记忆机制的了解几乎都是从对额叶皮层的研究中获得的。在这项提案中，我们将首先建立一种新的动物模型，通过采用一种在人类中广泛使用的简单程序来研究工作记忆能力。接下来，我们将通过记录动物执行这种新的工作记忆任务时神经元的活动来研究顶叶皮层内大多未被探索的神经机制。最后，对所有可用数据建立的模型进行计算机模拟将有助于我们将我们的发现形式化，并做出详细的预测，这些预测可以通过未来的实验进行测试。这项多学科研究的结果将对大脑皮层内神经元内和神经元之间发生的信息处理的基础研究产生影响，这可以应用于其他大脑功能，即，我们感知和注意力的极限。此外，它将允许具有生物学、心理学、工程学、计算机和认知科学等不同背景的学生获得多种实验方法的高质量培训。这种研究经验将使他们准备进入研究的各个领域作为新兴的年轻领导者，从而有助于满足学术界和工业界对高素质人才日益增长的需求。