Shared and distinct contributions of rostrolateral prefrontal cortex to analogical reasoning and episodic memory retrieval

Westphal, A. J.; Reggente, Nicco; Ito, Kaori; Rissman, Jesse

doi:10.1002/hbm.23074

Cited by 30 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Across all regions outside of the hippocampus, including DLPFC, we found greatest activation for correct recalls, followed by intrusions, with the least activation for deliberations. The frontal lobe has been shown to support a variety of retrieval processes including controlled retrieval [17, 34], selection [34, 35], and monitoring [36, 37]. The present results appear most consistent with a monitoring account whereby the frontal lobe acts as an evidence accumulator [38].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Contextually Mediated Spontaneous Retrieval Is Specific to the Hippocampus

et al. 2017

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SUMMARY Although it is now well established that the hippocampus supports memory encoding [1, 2], little is known about hippocampal activity during spontaneous memory retrieval. Recent intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) work has shown that hippocampal activity during encoding predicts subsequent temporal organization of memories [3], supporting a role in contextual binding. It is an open question, however, whether the hippocampus similarly supports contextually mediated processes during retrieval. Here, we analyzed iEEG recordings obtained from 215 epilepsy patients as they performed a free recall task. To identify neural activity specifically associated with contextual retrieval, we compared correct recalls, intrusions (incorrect recall of either items from prior lists or items not previously studied), and deliberations (matched periods during recall when no items came to mind). Neural signals that differentiate correct recalls from both other retrieval classes reflect contextual retrieval, as correct recalls alone arise from the correct context. We found that in the hippocampus, high-frequency activity (HFA, 44–100 Hz), a proxy for neural activation [4], was greater prior to correct recalls relative to the other retrieval classes, with no differentiation between intrusions and deliberations. This pattern was not observed in other memory-related cortical regions, including DLPFC, thus supporting a specific hippocampal contribution to contextually mediated memory retrieval.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Contextually Mediated Spontaneous Retrieval Is Specific to the Hippocampus

et al. 2017

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“…However, within the RLPFC, the FPCN component regions are not spatially proximate to any DAN component regions, but rather are primarily spatially positioned next to neighboring DMN component regions (Power et al, 2011). Moreover, the FPCN component of the left RLPFC is relatively close to the anterior aspect of Broca's area, which we previously found to be functionally connected to the RLPFC during analogical reasoning (Westphal et al, 2016). Therefore, the RLPFC appears to be a sensible target for brain stimulation aimed at improving memory and reasoning performance as it contains task-relevant FPCN and DMN regions that can be simultaneously stimulated using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) has been theorized to be the highest order cognitive control center in the reputed rostrocaudal hierarchy of the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC; Badre & D'Esposito, 2009;Koechlin & Hyafil, 2007;Ramnani & Owen, 2004) and has been implicated in functional neuroimaging studies examining cognitive control processes in episodic memory (Simons, Henson, Gilbert, & Fletcher, 2008;Simons, Gilbert, Owen, Fletcher, & Burgess, 2005;Lepage, Ghaffar, Nyberg, & Tulving, 2000;Ranganath, Johnson, & D'Esposito, 2000) and relational reasoning (Cho et al, 2010;Green, Kraemer, Fugelsang, Gray, & Dunbar, 2010;Wendelken & Bunge, 2010). More generally, RLPFC appears to be critical for the integration or comparison of highly structured representations, regardless of domain (Westphal, Reggente, Ito, & Rissman, 2016;). For the RLPFC to perform its role in goal-directed cognition across a diverse set of cognitive tasks, it needs to be able to flexibly couple with neural systems that process the domain-specific information relevant to the behavioral goals of each task.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the RLPFC to perform its role in goal-directed cognition across a diverse set of cognitive tasks, it needs to be able to flexibly couple with neural systems that process the domain-specific information relevant to the behavioral goals of each task. Indeed, research from Westphal et al (2016) showed that RLPFC exhibited particularly robust coupling with domainspecific brain regions for each task, as it coupled with the internally oriented default mode network (DMN) during episodic source memory retrieval, while also exhibiting connectivity with the externally oriented dorsal attention network (DAN) during visuospatial perception and Broca's area during verbal analogical reasoning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the Left Rostrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Selectively Improves Source Memory Retrieval

Westphal

Chow

Ngoy

et al. 2019

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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Functional neuroimaging studies have consistently implicated the left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) as playing a crucial role in the cognitive operations supporting episodic memory and analogical reasoning. However, the degree to which the left RLPFC causally contributes to these processes remains underspecified. We aimed to assess whether targeted anodal stimulation—thought to boost cortical excitability—of the left RLPFC with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would lead to augmentation of episodic memory retrieval and analogical reasoning task performance in comparison to cathodal stimulation or sham stimulation. Seventy-two healthy adult participants were evenly divided into three experimental groups. All participants performed a memory encoding task on Day 1, and then on Day 2, they performed continuously alternating tasks of episodic memory retrieval, analogical reasoning, and visuospatial perception across two consecutive 30-min experimental sessions. All groups received sham stimulation for the first experimental session, but the groups differed in the stimulation delivered to the left RLPFC during the second session (either sham, 1.5 mA anodal tDCS, or 1.5 mA cathodal tDCS). The experimental group that received anodal tDCS to the left RLPFC during the second session demonstrated significantly improved episodic memory source retrieval performance, relative to both their first session performance and relative to performance changes observed in the other two experimental groups. Performance on the analogical reasoning and visuospatial perception tasks did not exhibit reliable changes as a result of tDCS. As such, our results demonstrate that anodal tDCS to the left RLPFC leads to a selective and robust improvement in episodic source memory retrieval.

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“…Rostrolateral prefrontal cortex has been associated with a diverse range of cognitive domains, including mentalizing, episodic retrieval and working memory (Gilbert et al, 2006), suggesting that it carries out domain-general processes (Wendelken, Chung, & Bunge, 2012). A large body of research has also implicated the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex in relational integration, reasoning, and the evaluation of self-generated thought (Christoff et al, 2001; Ellamil et al, 2012; Green, Kraemer, Fugelsang, Gray, & Dunbar, 2010; Wendelken & Bunge, 2009; Wendelken et al, 2012; Wendelken, Nakhabenko, Donohue, Carter, & Bunge, 2007; Westphal, Reggente, Ito, & Rissman, 2016). Thus, we propose that when completing an episodic simulation task in which participants are provided with specific details to integrate together, the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex may support the generation and evaluation of reasons for the co-occurrence of episodic details that have not occurred together in the past – and that cognitively flexible individuals recruit this region to a greater degree, thereby providing a more plausible context for their imagined scenario.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An fMRI investigation of the relationship between future imagination and cognitive flexibility

et al. 2017

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While future imagination is largely considered to be a cognitive process grounded in default mode network activity, studies have shown that future imagination recruits regions in both default mode and frontoparietal control networks. In addition, it has recently been shown that the ability to imagine the future is associated with cognitive flexibility, and that tasks requiring cognitive flexibility result in increased coupling of the default mode network with frontoparietal control and salience networks. In the current study, we investigated the neural correlates underlying the association between cognitive flexibility and future imagination in two ways. First, we experimentally varied the degree of cognitive flexibility required during future imagination by manipulating the disparateness of episodic details contributing to imagined events. To this end, participants generated episodic details (persons, locations, objects) within three social spheres; during fMRI scanning they were presented with sets of three episodic details all taken from the same social sphere (Congruent condition) or different social spheres (Incongruent condition) and required to imagine a future event involving the three details. We predicted that, relative to the Congruent condition, future simulation in the Incongruent condition would be associated with increased activity in regions of the default mode, frontoparietal and salience networks. Second, we hypothesized that individual differences in cognitive flexibility, as measured by performance on the Alternate Uses Task, would correspond to individual differences in the brain regions recruited during future imagination. A task partial least squares (PLS) analysis showed that the Incongruent condition resulted in an increase in activity in regions in salience networks (e.g. the insula) but, contrary to our prediction, reduced activity in many regions of the default mode network (including the hippocampus). A subsequent functional connectivity (within-subject seed PLS) analysis showed that the insula exhibited increased coupling with default mode regions during the Incongruent condition. Finally, a behavioral PLS analysis showed that individual differences in cognitive flexibility were associated with differences in activity in a number of regions from frontoparietal, salience and default-mode networks during both future imagination conditions, further highlighting that the cognitive flexibility underlying future imagination is grounded in the complex interaction of regions in these networks.

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Shared and distinct contributions of rostrolateral prefrontal cortex to analogical reasoning and episodic memory retrieval

Cited by 30 publications

References 81 publications

Contextually Mediated Spontaneous Retrieval Is Specific to the Hippocampus

Contextually Mediated Spontaneous Retrieval Is Specific to the Hippocampus

Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the Left Rostrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Selectively Improves Source Memory Retrieval

An fMRI investigation of the relationship between future imagination and cognitive flexibility

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