CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 211Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesCognitive Abilities and TestingCognitive Functions and Memory

Does excessive memory load attenuate activation in the prefrontal cortex? Load-dependent processing in single and dual tasks: functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Jaeggi, Susanne M, Seewer, Ria, Nirkko, Arto C, Eckstein, Doris, Schroth, Gerhard, Groner, Rudolf, Gutbrod, Klemens·2003·NeuroImage
DOI 10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00098-3
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate the relationship between cortical activation and memory load in dual tasks. An n-back task at four levels of difficulty was used with auditory-verbal and visual-nonverbal material, performed separately as single tasks and simultaneously as dual tasks. With reference to single tasks, activation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) commonly increases with incremental memory load, whereas for dual tasks it has been hypothesized previously that activity in the PFC decreases in the face of excessive processing demands, i.e., if the capacity of the working memory's central executive system is exceeded. However, our results show that during both single and dual tasks, prefrontal activation increases continuously as a function of memory load. An increase of prefrontal activation was observed in the dual tasks even though processing demands were excessive in the case of the most difficult condition, as indicated by behavioral accuracy measures. The hypothesis concerning the decrease in prefrontal activation could not be supported and was discussed in terms of motivation factors. Similar changes in load-dependent activation were observed in two other regions outside the PFC, namely in the precentral gyrus and the superior parietal lobule. The results suggest that excessive processing demands in dual tasks are not necessarily accompanied by a diminution in cortical activity.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00098-3

Cites

57 of 57 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Dual N-back tasks produce longer reaction times and more errors than single N-back tasks.

    “For example, Jaeggi et al. (2003) showed that single and dual N-back tasks differ at the behavioral level with longer reaction times and more errors on dual N-back tasks compared with single N-back.”

    From Divergent Research Methods Limit Understanding of Working Memory Training (2020) · cites this paper as Jaeggi et al. (2003)

  • Single and dual N-back tasks do not differ at the neural level; prefrontal activation increases with higher load regardless of task type.

    “On the other hand, no differentiation between single and dual N-back tasks was observed at the neural level: prefrontal activation increased with higher load irrespective of task type.”

    From Divergent Research Methods Limit Understanding of Working Memory Training (2020) · cites this paper as Jaeggi et al. (2003)

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Jaeggi, S. M., Seewer, R., Nirkko, A. C., Eckstein, D., Schroth, G., Groner, R., & Gutbrod, K.
Affiliations
  • University of Bern (CH)
  • University Hospital of Bern (CH)
Corresponding author
Jaeggi, Susanne M
ORCID
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2003-06
Volume
19
Issue
2
Pages
210-225
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00098-3
OpenAlex
W2169317304
Cited by
211
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 11
FWCI
2.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bern Open Repository and Information System (University of Bern) (submittedVersion)
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
memory load, dual-task performance, prefrontal cortex activation, n-back task, working memory, central executive, processing demands, motivation, precentral gyrus, superior parietal lobule
MeSH terms
Adult, Attention, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Color Perception, Female, Humans, Image Enhancement, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Nerve Net, Oxygen Consumption, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Reaction Time, Retention, Psychology, Speech Perception, Verbal Learning, Prefrontal Cortex

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review