Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, working memory and episodic memory processes: insight through transcranial magnetic stimulation techniques

Abstract

The ability to recall and recognize facts we experienced in the past is based on a complex mechanism in which several cerebral regions are implicated. Neuroimaging and lesion studies agree in identifying the frontal lobe as a crucial structure for memory processes, and in particular for working memory and episodic memory and their relationships. Furthermore, with the introduction of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) a new way was proposed to investigate the relationships between brain correlates, memory functions and behavior. The aim of this review is to present the main findings that have emerged from experiments which used the TMS technique for memory analysis. They mainly focused on the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in memory process. Furthermore, we present state-of-the-art evidence supporting a possible use of TMS in the clinic. Specifically we focus on the treatment of memory deficits in depression and anxiety disorders.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex enhances working memory

“…DLPFC has been associated with the encoding and retrieval phases of WM tasks (Balconi 2013), and consistent evidence implicates parietal areas in the actual storage of information (Edin et al 2009). DLPFC may regulate the signal-tonoise ratio of the parietal cortex to enable increased storage capacity (Edin et al 2009).…”

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognition, symptoms, and smoking in schizophrenia: A randomized controlled study

“…It is possible that different placement of the tDCS electrodes might produce improvement in different cognitive functions in SZ. Studies in healthy controls have shown stimulation of the LDLPFC by tDCS improves working memory, especially verbal working memory, whereas stimulation of the RDLPFC with tDCS improved functions related to visual-spatial working memory (Jeon and Han, 2012;Balconi, 2013).…”

Structural Asymmetry of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Correlates with Depressive Symptoms: Evidence from Healthy Individuals and Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

“…The DLPFC plays important roles in working memory and episodic memory [42], executive function [43], and the regulation of emotion [44], and this region is commonly impaired in bipolar I depressive disorder and unipolar depressive disorder [45]. In this study, instead of exploring the group differences in GMV without considering brain asymmetry, we adopted a novel perspective to explore asymmetry of the DLPFC in depression.…”