Developmental differences in sustained and transient activity underlying working memory.

The amount of information one can maintain in working memory (WM) increases between childhood and adulthood (Gathercole, 1994, 1999; Klingberg, 1998; Luciana, 1998; Luciana and Nelson, 1998). In addition to cognitive changes that occur early in life, childhood and adolescence are periods marked by significant neuroanatomical changes that are thought to underlie cognitive maturation. This study used a mixed state-item design and a parametric "n-back" task to explore the relationship between WM load and neural activity changes with age.

Functional developmental similarities and differences in the neural correlates of verbal and nonverbal working memory tasks.

Relatively little is known about the functional development of verbal and nonverbal working memory during adolescence. Behavioral studies have demonstrated that WM capacity increases with age, yet relatively few studies have assessed the relationship between brain-activity and age-related changes in WM capacity, especially as it differs across multiple domains. The present study used an n-back task and functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess age-related differences in the neural correlates of word and face working memory tasks.

When does the brain inform the eyes whether and where to move? An EEG study in humans.

The current study addressed when in the course of stimulus processing, and in what brain areas, activity occurs that supports the interpretation of cues that signal the appropriateness of different and competing behaviors. Twelve subjects completed interleaved no-go-, pro-, and antitrials, whereas 64-channel electroencephalography was recorded. Principle component and distributed source analyses were used to evaluate the spatial distribution and time course of cortical activity supporting cue evaluation and response selection.

Neural correlates of verbal and nonverbal working memory deficits in individuals with schizophrenia and their high-risk siblings.

Impaired working memory and functional brain activation deficits within prefrontal cortex (PFC) may be associated with vulnerability to schizophrenia. This study compared working memory and PFC activation in individuals with schizophrenia, their unaffected siblings and healthy comparison participants. We administered a "2back" version of the "nback" task.