Cited by 105Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeural dynamics and brain functionNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Dynamic causal brain circuits during working memory and their functional controllability

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Cai, Weidong, Ryali, Srikanth, Pasumarthy, Ramkrishna, Talasila, Viswanath, Menon, Vinod·2021·Nature Communications

Abstract

Control processes associated with working memory play a central role in human cognition, but their underlying dynamic brain circuit mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we use system identification, network science, stability analysis, and control theory to probe functional circuit dynamics during working memory task performance. Our results show that dynamic signaling between distributed brain areas encompassing the salience (SN), fronto-parietal (FPN), and default mode networks can distinguish between working memory load and predict performance. Network analysis of directed causal influences suggests the anterior insula node of the SN and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex node of the FPN are causal outflow and inflow hubs, respectively. Network controllability decreases with working memory load and SN nodes show the highest functional controllability. Our findings reveal dissociable roles of the SN and FPN in systems control and provide novel insights into dynamic circuit mechanisms by which cognitive control circuits operate asymmetrically during cognition.

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  • Across a wide range of tasks, the anterior insula has emerged as a causal signaling hub that facilitates engagement of the lateral frontoparietal cortex involved in attention, response inhibition, and working memory while disengaging DMN nodes.

    “Across a wide range of tasks, the anterior insula has emerged as a causal signaling hub that facilitates engagement of the lateral frontoparietal cortex involved in attention, response inhibition, and working memory while disengaging DMN nodes. 26,27”

    From 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis. (2023) · cites this paper as [26]

    The Results report that the anterior insula had the highest directed causal outflow among salience, frontoparietal, and default-mode network nodes in two working-memory conditions. The Discussion links it to network switching, and Fig. 6 describes positive influences between salience and frontoparietal nodes and negative influences on default-mode nodes. The paper mentions prior work on other tasks, but its own causal findings are limited to working-memory conditions; it does not establish the full claimed pattern across attention and response-inhibition tasks. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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1 of the 115 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [1]Baddeley, A. D. Working Memory (Clarendon Press; Oxford University Press, 1986).
  2. [113]Cai, W., Ryali, S., Pasumarthy, R., Talasila, V. & Menon, V. Dynamic brain circuits during working memory and their functional controllability (Code). Zenodo10.5281/zenodo.4706053 (2021). PMC8241851 34188024

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Authors
Cai, W., Ryali, S., Pasumarthy, R., Talasila, V., & Menon, V.
Affiliations
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IN)
  • Ramaiah Institute of Technology (IN)
Corresponding author
  • Cai, Weidong
  • Menon, Vinod
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2021-06-29
Volume
12
Issue
1
Pages
3314-3314
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3176607719
Cited by
105
References
115
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 2
FWCI
7.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (MH105625, MH121069)
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (EB022907)
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS086085)
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD074652)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
working memory, network controllability, salience network, frontoparietal network, default mode network, anterior insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, working memory load, network hubs, cognitive control
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Female, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Models, Neurological, Nerve Net, Neural Pathways, Reproducibility of Results, Prefrontal Cortex, Young Adult, Executive Function

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