Synaptic Theory of Working Memory

old_uid3648
titleSynaptic Theory of Working Memory
start_date2007/12/10
schedule16h15
onlineno
summaryIt is usually assumed that enhanced spiking activity in the form of persistent reverberation for several seconds is the neural correlate of working memory. Here we propose a new theoretical framework whereby working memory is sustained by calcium mediated synaptic facilitation in the recurrent connections of neocortical networks. In this account, the presynaptic residual calcium is used as a 'buffer' which is loaded, refreshed and read-out by spiking activity. Due to the long time constants of calcium kinetics, the refresh rate can be very low, which results in a mechanism that is metabolically efficient and resistant to external interferences. The duration and stability of working memory can be effectively regulated by modulating the spontaneous activity in the network.
responsiblesvan Vreeswijk, Hansel