Working memory

Abstract

Working memory is a complex concept that underlies much of our higher cognitive abilities. It involves the selection, temporary storage, manipulation and use of currently relevant information. Unlike long-term memory, only a very limited amount of information can be held in working memory at one time. Researchers have tried to measure this capacity of working memory, but the answer to that question depends on the type of information one is trying to remember and the way that the memory is tested. Working memory, particularly its executive component, seems to depend on the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain has internal circuits that can sustain patterns of neural activity for a longer time than can other parts of the brain, resulting in flexible representations that can be protected from being over-written by new sensory inputs. The prefrontal cortex also receives converging inputs from many different brain regions, enabling it to integrate and manipulate multiple pieces of information from the past and use that information to guide future behavior in new situations.