Neuroanatomical correlates of processing in visual and visuospatial working memory.
Working memory is traditionally seen as being organised in a modular way with a central executive orchestrating at least two slave systems (phonological loop and visuospatial sketch pad). Neuroanatomical correlates of the visual and visuospatial subsystems and the central executive are discussed in this article. A series of experiments are presented yielding evidence for a differentiation into active and passive processing in working memory as well as their neuroanatomical correlates in the prefrontal cortex. Data, yielding evidence for an interaction and separation of visual and visuospatial working memory are presented and discussed. Further results are presented which suggest a convergence of these two systems with increasing working memory demands. The discussed findings will give new insight in the organisation of visual and visuospatial working memory on the anatomical level.
Suchan
Boris
B
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology, Ruhr-University of Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany. Boris.Suchan@rub.de
D001931:Brain Mapping; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010700:Phonetics; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D012153:Retention, Psychology