Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRI

eLife, vol. 13

Abstract

A growing body of research suggests that dopamine is involved in working memory updating and that the striatum takes up a critical role in the subprocess of working memory gating . In this study, we investigated subcortical – in particular, possible dopaminergic – involvement in working memory updating subprocesses using the reference-back task and ultrahigh field 7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a scanning protocol optimized for BOLD sensitivity in the subcortex, we found no evidence of subcortical activation during working memory gate opening, predominantly activations in frontoparietal network regions, which challenges the idea of a striatal gating mechanism. However, during gate closing, subcortical activation was observed. Furthermore, a ready-to-update mode demonstrated large-spread subcortical activation, including basal ganglia nuclei, suggesting that the basal ganglia are engaged in general updating processes rather than specifically controlling the working memory gate. Moreover, substituting new information into working memory elicited activation in dopamine-producing midbrain regions along with the striatum, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex, indicating engagement of the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop possibly driven by (potential) dopaminergic activity. These findings expand our understanding of subcortical regions involved in working memory updating, shifting the focus from gate opening to substitution as a midbrain-driven updating process.

Authors 12

1. Anne C. Trutti corresponding Aachen Cognitive Psychology Unit Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University · University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

   Integrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2. Zsuzsika Sjoerds Aachen Cognitive Psychology Unit Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

3. Russell James Boag

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Integrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

4. Solenn LY Walstra

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Integrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

5. Steven Miletić Aachen Cognitive Psychology Unit Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University · University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

   Integrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

6. Scott JS Isherwood

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Integrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

7. Pierre‐Louis Bazin
   Affiliation as printed

   Full brain picture Analytics, Leiden, The Netherlands

8. Bernhard Hommel

   Shandong Normal University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China

9. Sarah Habli

   Norwegian University of Science and Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

10. Desmond H. Y. Tse

    Norwegian University of Science and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

11. Asta Kristine Haberg

    Norwegian University of Science and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

12. Birte U. Forstmann

    University of Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Integrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands