Timing and Neural Encoding of Somatosensory Parametric Working Memory in Macaque Prefrontal Cortex
Abstract
We trained monkeys to compare the frequencies of two mechanical vibrations applied sequentially to the tip of a finger and to report which of the two stimuli had the higher frequency. This task requires remembering the first frequency during the delay period between the two stimuli. Recordings were made from neurons in the inferior convexity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) while the monkeys performed the task. We report neurons that fire persistently during the delay period, with a firing rate that is a monotonic function of the frequency of the first stimulus. Separately from, and in addition to, their correlation with the first stimulus, the delay period firing rates of these neurons were correlated with the behavior of the monkey, in a manner consistent with their interpretation as the neural substrate of working memory during the task. Most neurons had firing rates that varied systematically with time during the delay period. We suggest that this time-dependent activity may encode time itself and may be an intrinsic part of active memory maintenance mechanisms.
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A time-dependent rise of firing rate in LIP and elsewhere has been interpreted as a representation of elapsed time in the form of a hazard rate or anticipation function.
“A time-dependent rise of firing rate in LIP and elsewhere has been interpreted as a representation of elapsed time in the form of a hazard rate or anticipation function 12,33–35.”
From Decision-making with multiple alternatives (2008) · cites this paper as [34]
Two neural populations coupled by reciprocal inhibition exhibit persistent activity that is positively and negatively monotonically tuned to the first frequency f1, as observed in prefrontal neurons.
“Moreover, two such neural populations coupled by reciprocal inhibition exhibit persistent activity that is positively and negatively, respectively, monotonically tuned to the first frequency f1, as observed in prefrontal neurons in this task (Romo et al., 1999; Brody et al., 2003; Miller et al., 2003).”
From Decision Making in Recurrent Neuronal Circuits (2008) · cites this paper as Brody et al., 2003
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- Authors
- Brody, C. D.
- Affiliations
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (US)
- Corresponding author
- Brody, C. D.
- ORCID
- Brody, C. D.
- Venue
- Cerebral Cortex
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2003-11-01
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1196-1207
- ISSN
- 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2199
- OpenAlex
- W2147199905
- Cited by
- 350
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 6.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Institutional Repository (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- working memory, frequency comparison, prefrontal cortex, delay period, neural coding, time encoding, memory maintenance, firing rate, macaque
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Discrimination, Psychological, Macaca mulatta, Memory, Neurons, Physical Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Somatosensory Cortex, Time Factors, Prefrontal Cortex
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