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Brain activity is related to individual differences in the number of items stored in auditory short-term memory for pitch: evidence from magnetoencephalography
- Source :
- NeuroImage. 94
- Publication Year :
- 2012
-
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.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Echoic memory
Nerve net
Brain activity and meditation
Cognitive Neuroscience
Short-term memory
Audiology
behavioral disciplines and activities
Sensitivity and Specificity
Cognitive Reserve
Task Performance and Analysis
medicine
Humans
Pitch Perception
Cognitive reserve
medicine.diagnostic_test
Working memory
Brain
Magnetoencephalography
Reproducibility of Results
Human brain
medicine.anatomical_structure
Memory, Short-Term
Neurology
Pattern Recognition, Physiological
Mental Recall
Female
Nerve Net
Psychology
psychological phenomena and processes
Cognitive psychology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10959572
- Volume :
- 94
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- NeuroImage
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....41e1afebff3e90c0e4fe7a3efe374c58