The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 43 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Neural Suppression of Irrelevant Information Underlies Optimal Working Memory Performance
Open accessAbstract
Our ability to focus attention on task-relevant information and ignore distractions is reflected by differential enhancement and suppression of neural activity in sensory cortex (i.e., top-down modulation). Such selective, goal-directed modulation of activity may be intimately related to memory, such that the focus of attention biases the likelihood of successfully maintaining relevant information by limiting interference from irrelevant stimuli. Despite recent studies elucidating the mechanistic overlap between attention and memory, the relationship between top-down modulation of visual processing during working memory (WM) encoding, and subsequent recognition performance has not yet been established. Here, we provide neurophysiological evidence in healthy, young adults that top-down modulation of early visual processing (< 200 ms from stimulus onset) is intimately related to subsequent WM performance, such that the likelihood of successfully remembering relevant information is associated with limiting interference from irrelevant stimuli. The consequences of a failure to ignore distractors on recognition performance was replicated for two types of feature-based memory, motion direction and color. Moreover, attention to irrelevant stimuli was reflected neurally during the WM maintenance period as an increased memory load. These results suggest that neural enhancement of relevant information is not the primary determinant of high-level performance, but rather optimal WM performance is dependent on effectively filtering irrelevant information through neural suppression to prevent overloading a limited memory capacity.
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“Any information not relevant to satisfying compulsions is not only meaningless but may be entirely ignored, which is consistent with observations of human behaviour [6,5] (i.e. one may be unable to perceive something in the stream of sensorimotor stimuli because it is filtered out).”
From Compression, The Fermi Paradox and Artificial Super-Intelligence (2022) · cites this paper as [6]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“In addition, the inability to filter irrelevant sensory stimuli may also impair performance on executive function tasks [33].”
From Sensory processing in preterm preschoolers and its association with executive function (2015) · cites this paper as [33]
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Cites
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Load Theory of Selective Attention and Cognitive Control
Lavie, N., Hirst, A., de Fockert, J. W., & Viding, E. (2004) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.133.3.339 · Cited by 1,812 · cited 1×
“Load theory predicts a WM load will produce an impairment in selective attention marked by increased distractibility (Lavie et al., 2004).”
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2001.01397.x · DOI
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Diamond, A. (2013) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750 · Cited by 13,268
Top-down modulation: bridging selective attention and working memory
Gazzaley, A., & Nobre, A. C. (2012) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2011.11.014 · Cited by 1,404
Self-citationCausal role of the prefrontal cortex in top-down modulation of visual processing and working memory
Zanto, T. P., Rubens, M. T., Thangavel, A., & Gazzaley, A. H. (2011) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn.2773 · Cited by 695
Self-citationAlpha Oscillations Serve to Protect Working Memory Maintenance against Anticipated Distracters
Bonnefond, M., & Jensen, O. B. (2012) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.08.029 · Cited by 624
Video Games and Spatial Cognition
Spence, I., & Feng, J. (2010) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0019491 · Cited by 512
Metadata
- Authors
- Zanto, T. P., & Gazzaley, A.
- Affiliations
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gazzaley, Adam
- Venue
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience
- Published
- 2009-03-11
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 3059-3066
- ISSN
- 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
- 1529-2401
- PMC
- PMC2704557
- OpenAlex
- W2080254032
- Cited by
- 302
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 10.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Ellison Medical Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Aging (R01-AG30395, K08AG025221, R01AG030395)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- working memory, top-down modulation, distractor suppression, attention, visual cortex, memory load, recognition memory, feature-based memory, movement direction, color memory, interference, memory capacity
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Color Perception, Evoked Potentials, Visual, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Motion Perception, Neural Inhibition, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Reaction Time, Visual Perception, Young Adult
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