Individual differences in spatial working memory strategies differentially reflected in the engagement of control and default brain networks

Purg Suljič, Nina (author), Kraljič, Aleksij (author), Rahmati, Masih (author), Cho, Youngsun T. (author), Slana Ozimič, Anka (author), Murray, John D. (author), Anticevic, Alan (author), Repovš, Grega (author)

Spatial locations can be encoded and maintained in working memory using different representations and strategies. Fine-grained representations provide detailed stimulus information, but are cognitively demanding and prone to inexactness. The uncertainty in fine-grained representations can be compensated by the use of coarse, but robust categorical representations. In this study, we employed an individual differences approach to identify brain activity correlates of the use of fine-grained and categorical representations in spatial working memory. We combined data from six functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, resulting in a sample of (⁠women, years) healthy participants performing a spatial working memory task. Our results showed that individual differences in the use of spatial representations in working memory were associated with distinct patterns of brain activity. Higher precision of fine-grained representations was related to greater engagement of attentional and control brain systems throughout the task trial, and the stronger deactivation of the default network at the time of stimulus encoding. In contrast, the use of categorical representations was associated with lower default network activity during encoding and higher frontoparietal network activation during maintenance. These results may indicate a greater need for attentional resources and protection against interference for fine-grained compared with categorical representations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: neurosciences, functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI, short term memory, spatial memory, brain, mental representations, individual differences
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 34, iss. 8
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-161603
• UDC: 159.953.2:612.82
• ISSN on article: 1460-2199
• DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae350
• COBISS.SI-ID: 207256579
• Publication date in RUL: 12.09.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Cerebral cortex
• Shortened title: Cereb Cortex
• Publisher: Oxford University Press.
• ISSN: 1460-2199
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3211028

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: nevroznanost, funkcijsko magnetnoresonančno slikanje fMRI, delovni spomin, prostorski spomin, možgani, miselne predstave, medosebne razlike