dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaTemporal structure in neuronal activity during working memory in Macaque parietal cortex
| Authors | B. Pesaran, J. S. Pezaris, M. Sahani, P. P. Mitra, R. A. Andersen |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | q-bio/0309034 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0309034 |
Abstract
A number of cortical structures are reported to have elevated single unit firing rates sustained throughout the memory period of a working memory task. How the nervous system forms and maintains these memories is unknown but reverberating neuronal network activity is thought to be important. We studied the temporal structure of single unit (SU) activity and simultaneously recorded local field potential (LFP) activity from area LIP in the inferior parietal lobe of two awake macaques during a memory-saccade task. Using multitaper techniques for spectral analysis, which play an important role in obtaining the present results, we find elevations in spectral power in a 50--90 Hz (gamma) frequency band during the memory period in both SU and LFP activity. The activity is tuned to the direction of the saccade providing evidence for temporal structure that codes for movement plans during working memory. We also find SU and LFP activity are coherent during the memory period in the 50--90 Hz gamma band and no consistent relation is present during simple fixation. Finally, we find organized LFP activity in a 15--25 Hz frequency band that may be related to movement execution and preparatory aspects of the task. Neuronal activity could be used to control a neural prosthesis but SU activity can be hard to isolate with cortical implants. As the LFP is easier to acquire than SU activity, our finding of rich temporal structure in LFP activity related to movement planning and execution may accelerate the development of this medical application.
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"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:28.423000Z",
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"abstract": "A number of cortical structures are reported to have elevated single unit\nfiring rates sustained throughout the memory period of a working memory task.\nHow the nervous system forms and maintains these memories is unknown but\nreverberating neuronal network activity is thought to be important. We studied\nthe temporal structure of single unit (SU) activity and simultaneously recorded\nlocal field potential (LFP) activity from area LIP in the inferior parietal\nlobe of two awake macaques during a memory-saccade task. Using multitaper\ntechniques for spectral analysis, which play an important role in obtaining the\npresent results, we find elevations in spectral power in a 50--90 Hz (gamma)\nfrequency band during the memory period in both SU and LFP activity. The\nactivity is tuned to the direction of the saccade providing evidence for\ntemporal structure that codes for movement plans during working memory. We also\nfind SU and LFP activity are coherent during the memory period in the 50--90 Hz\ngamma band and no consistent relation is present during simple fixation.\nFinally, we find organized LFP activity in a 15--25 Hz frequency band that may\nbe related to movement execution and preparatory aspects of the task. Neuronal\nactivity could be used to control a neural prosthesis but SU activity can be\nhard to isolate with cortical implants. As the LFP is easier to acquire than SU\nactivity, our finding of rich temporal structure in LFP activity related to\nmovement planning and execution may accelerate the development of this medical\napplication.",
"arxiv_id": "q-bio/0309034",
"authors": [
"B. Pesaran",
"J. S. Pezaris",
"M. Sahani",
"P. P. Mitra",
"R. A. Andersen"
],
"categories": [
"q-bio.NC"
],
"title": "Temporal structure in neuronal activity during working memory in Macaque parietal cortex",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0309034"
},
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