The brain's RAM

Rats, like humans, have a 'working memory'

2014-01-21

(Press-News.org) Contact information: Federica Sgorbissa
pressroom@sissa.it
39-040-378-7644
International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA)
The brain's RAM Rats, like humans, have a 'working memory'

In computers it's called "RAM", but the mechanism is conceptually similar to what scientists call a "working memory" in the brain of humans and primates: when we interact with the environment our senses gather information that a temporary memory system keeps fresh and readily accessible for a few minutes, so that the body can carry out operations (for example, an action). For the first time, a research team coordinated by Mathew Diamond of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste has shown that this memory system also exists in simpler mammals like rodents.

Working memory has been studied in detail in humans and primates, but little was known about its existence in other animals. "Knowing that a working memory also exists in the brain of evolutionarily simpler organisms helps us to understand the origins of this important cognitive mechanism", explains Diamond. "Comparative psychology studies have historically helped scientists not only to trace the evolutionary roots of human brain functions but also to gain deeper insight into human cognitive processes themselves".

The type of sensory memory studied by Diamond and co-workers in rats is tactile memory. The performance of rodents in tasks assessing recognition of vibratory stimuli was compared with that of humans performing similar tasks (rats used their whiskers and humans their fingertips). "Rats exhibited similar behaviour patterns to humans, demonstrating that these animals use a tactile working memory that enables them to recognise and interact with environmental stimuli". The research paper has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

More in detail…

"Working memory is an extraordinary cognitive mechanism", comments Diamond. "It's like a container where the brain stores little bits of very recent experience, to be able to assess the best course of action. Without this temporary memory, experience would slip away without any chance of being used".

"Working memory can hold only a limited amount of information for a fairly short period of time. These limits are the result of a cost-benefit balance: the brain's computational capacity is fixed and decisions as to what action to take often need to be quick and effective as the same time. Our working memory's capacity is therefore the best we can achieve in terms of accuracy and speed with our brain".

"The brain regions responsible for working memory have not yet been identified in rats. Some believe that rats don't have the brain centres known as "prefrontal cortex" which are involved in this function in primates", continues Diamond. "Our surprise was to discover that rodents realize memory in a manner similar to humans. Now we are continuing our studies to understand how these mechanisms work in detail".

INFORMATION:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Vancouver: Nearby Georgia basin may amplify ground shaking from next quake

2014-01-21

Vancouver: Nearby Georgia basin may amplify ground shaking from next quake SAN FRANCISCO -- Tall buildings, bridges and other long-period structures in Greater Vancouver may experience greater shaking from large (M 6.8 +) earthquakes than previously ...

January/February 2014 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet

2014-01-21

January/February 2014 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet Self-rated Health an Efficient and Effective Predictor of Long-Term Depression Risk Self-rated health appears to be a strong and consistent predictor of the risk of future depression in patients ...

Embargoed news: Evidence that access to guns increases suicide and homicide

2014-01-21

Embargoed news: Evidence that access to guns increases suicide and homicide Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for January 21, 2014 1. Evidence that access to firearms significantly increases odds of suicide and homicide Having access to a gun in the ...

Uninsured patients less likely to be transferred between hospitals, Pitt researchers find

2014-01-21

Uninsured patients less likely to be transferred between hospitals, Pitt researchers find PITTSBURGH, Jan. 20, 2013 – Uninsured patients with a variety of common medical diagnoses are significantly less likely to be transferred ...

Access to guns increases risk of suicide, homicide

2014-01-21

Access to guns increases risk of suicide, homicide UCSF meta-analysis finds women at greater risk of being killed Someone with access to firearms is three times more likely to commit suicide and nearly twice as likely to be the victim of a ...

Made in China for us: Air pollution tied to exports

2014-01-21

Made in China for us: Air pollution tied to exports Study finds blowback causes extra day per year of ozone smog in LA Chinese air pollution blowing across the Pacific Ocean is often caused by the manufacturing of goods for export to the U.S. and Europe, ...

Schizophrenia in the limelight: Film-industry technology provides insights

2014-01-21

Schizophrenia in the limelight: Film-industry technology provides insights The first 30 seconds of a social encounter is crucial for people with symptoms of schizophrenia for establishing contact with people, according to new research carried out ...

Boosting vitamin D could slow progression, reduce severity of multiple sclerosis

2014-01-21

Boosting vitamin D could slow progression, reduce severity of multiple sclerosis Boston, MA — For patients in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), low levels of vitamin D were found to strongly predict disease severity and hasten its progression, ...

Middle-school girls continue to play soccer with concussion symptoms

2014-01-21

Middle-school girls continue to play soccer with concussion symptoms Concussions are common among middle-school girls who play soccer, and most continue to play with symptoms, according to a study by John W. O' Kane, M.D., of the University of Washington Sports Medicine ...

Mount Sinai researchers find promising new drug targets for cocaine addiction

2014-01-21

Mount Sinai researchers find promising new drug targets for cocaine addiction For first time, PARP-1 enzyme, Sidekick-1 gene implicated in enhancing brain reward system New York, NY–Researchers from the Icahn School of ...

ARC at Sheba Medical Center and Mount Sinai launch collaboration with NVIDIA to crack the hidden code of the human genome through AI

SRL welcomes first Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Time to act and not react: how can the European Union turn the tide of antimicrobial resistance?

Apriori Bio and A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs Announce strategic partnership to advance next generation influenza vaccines

HKUMed finds depression doubles mortality rates and increases suicide risk 10-fold; timely treatment can reduce risk by up to 30%

ECMWF and European Partners win prestigious HPCwire Award for "Best Use Of AI Methods for Augmenting HPC Applications” – for AI innovation in weather and climate

[Press-News.org] The brain's RAM
Rats, like humans, have a 'working memory'

The brain's RAM

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: