# Sensory recruitment by working memory: neuronal basis and neural circuitry

> **NIH NIH R01** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2021 · $350,750

## Abstract

Working memory maintenance is fundamental for the orderly pursuit of goals in the
face of irrelevant, distracting stimuli. Both prefrontal and visual areas are thought to
contribute to the maintenance of items in working memory, but the exact nature of the
interaction between these areas has yet to be causally examined. This proposal
combines neurophysiological recordings of single unit activity and local field potentials
with pharmacological manipulations of the prefrontal cortex, to determine its contribution
to memory-driven changes in neural activity and synchrony within visual areas. Local
field potentials allow the examination of oscillatory signatures and phase locking, and
their contribution to the strength of the visual representation. Such changes in oscillatory
power and the timing of spikes relative to ongoing oscillations have recently been shown
to reflect the content of working memory. Experiments in this proposal will 1) causally
test whether prefrontal cortex drives these oscillations in posterior areas, 2) construct a
model and test its predictions for how this top-down signal drives oscillatory changes, 3)
determine how these changes alter the representation of visual stimuli presented during
working memory maintenance, and 4) establish the relationship of these changes in
oscillatory power and spike timing to the stimulus’ ability to impact behavior. This
fundamental understanding of the neural mechanisms contributing to working memory
maintenance will in turn provide insight into the basis for working memory impairments in
disorders such as schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Parkinson’s
disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10198059
- **Project number:** 5R01NS113073-03
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Behrad Noudoost
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $350,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10198059

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10198059, Sensory recruitment by working memory: neuronal basis and neural circuitry (5R01NS113073-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10198059. Licensed CC0.

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