title: Brain activity is related to individual differences in the number of items stored in auditory short-term memory for pitch: evidence from magnetoencephalography.
abstract: We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine brain activity related to the maintenance of non-verbal pitch information in auditory short-term memory (ASTM). We focused on brain activity that increased with the number of items effectively held in memory by the participants during the retention interval of an auditory memory task. We used very simple acoustic materials (i.e., pure tones that varied in pitch) that minimized activation from non-ASTM related systems. MEG revealed neural activity in frontal, temporal, and parietal cortices that increased with a greater number of items effectively held in memory by the participants during the maintenance of pitch representations in ASTM. The present results reinforce the functional role of frontal and temporal cortices in the retention of pitch information in ASTM. This is the first MEG study to provide both fine spatial localization and temporal resolution on the neural mechanisms of non-verbal ASTM for pitch in relation to individual differences in the capacity of ASTM. This research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms mediating the representation and maintenance of basic non-verbal auditory features in the human brain.
authors.affiliation: CERNEC, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France. Electronic address: stgrimault@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grimault
authors.affiliation: CERNEC, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nolden
authors.affiliation: CERNEC, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche de l'institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.affiliation: CERNEC, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vachon
authors.affiliation: BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Krista
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.affiliation: CERNEC, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Peretz
authors.affiliation: BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zatorre
authors.affiliation: CERNEC, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Robitaille
authors.affiliation: CERNEC, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; BRAMS, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sounds, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche de l'institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jolicoeur
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D058245:Cognitive Reserve / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D046709:Pattern Recognition, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D010898:Pitch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
keywords: Auditory; MEG; Pitch; Short-term memory; Working memory