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Cited by 350Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesCognitive Abilities and TestingCognitive Functions and Memory

The dependence of span and delayed-response performance on prefrontal cortex.

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D’Esposito, Mark, Postle, Bradley R·1999·Neuropsychologia
DOI 10.1016/s0028-3932(99)00021-4
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Abstract

Theoretical and empirical research on the cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex have established that this region mediates what have been called 'executive' processes that can influence working and long-term memory. Despite the accumulation of such empirical evidence, the dependence of purely mnemonic portions of memory tasks on PFC remains unresolved. To address this issue, we performed an analysis of reports of performance on tests of working memory of patients with lesions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, focusing on published reports in the literature of simple span and delayed-response tasks. We found that none of the eleven studies of forward verbal and spatial span in patients with prefrontal cortical lesions that we reviewed (reflecting the performance of 166 individual patients) demonstrated a statistically significant deficit relative to normal controls. In contrast, our review of the delayed-response literature indicated that there are conditions under which PFC lesions disrupt delayed-response performance. Based on the results of our review of the literature, we present testable hypotheses about the working memory functions of the PFC.

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  • The measures used in prior studies might not be sensitive enough to detect small changes induced by experimental manipulations in young, healthy subjects.

    “These measures might not be sensitive enough to detect small changes induced by experimental manipulations in young, healthy subjects [38], [39], [40].”

    From Dose-dependent effects of endotoxin on neurobehavioral functions in humans (2011) · cites this paper as [40]

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Authors
D’Esposito, M., & Postle, B. R.
Affiliations
University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
D’Esposito, Mark
ORCID
Venue
Neuropsychologia
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1999-10
Volume
37
Issue
11
Pages
1303-1315
ISSN
0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0028-3932(99)00021-4
OpenAlex
W2147954876
Cited by
350
References
92
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 22
FWCI
7.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5k08ns001762-05, 7r01ag013483-05)
  • National Institute on Aging (AG 13483)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS 01762)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
prefrontal cortex, working memory, delayed response, executive function, verbal span, spatial span, memory impairment
MeSH terms
Attention, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Memory Disorders, Memory, Short-Term, Neuropsychological Tests, Perceptual Masking, Mental Recall, Serial Learning, Space Perception, Time Factors, Volition, Prefrontal Cortex, Brain Injury, Chronic

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