Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Working Memory (WM) is a critical ability that supports a wide range of cognitive functions, and is highly associated with general intelligence and academic achievement. Although functional MRI studies have highlighted a network of regions involved in WM in adults, little is known about how these networks develop in children to support successful WM performance. Using MEG, we examined the dynamic network structures underlying the maintenance of visual information in WM in 6-year-old children. We observed stronger and more stable connectivity in the alpha frequency band (8 to 14 Hz) during the retention interval associated with correct compared to incorrect trials. Additionally, our network analysis revealed elevated alpha synchronization during WM maintenance compared to baseline, in a distributed network of frontal, parietal, and temporal regions. Our results suggest that alpha inter-regional synchrony is an important mechanism for sustaining memory of visual stimuli and is already active in young children.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Julie Sato
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2809462080