Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRI
A growing body of research suggests that dopamine is involved in working memory updating and that the striatum takes up a critical role in the subprocess of working memory gating . In this study, we investigated subcortical – in particular, possible dopaminergic – involvement in working memory updat...
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| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/97874 |
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| author | Anne C Trutti Zsuzsika Sjoerds Russell J Boag Solenn LY Walstra Steven Miletić Scott JS Isherwood Pierre-Louis Bazin Bernhard Hommel Sarah Habli Desmond HY Tse Asta K Håberg Birte U Forstmann |
| author_facet | Anne C Trutti Zsuzsika Sjoerds Russell J Boag Solenn LY Walstra Steven Miletić Scott JS Isherwood Pierre-Louis Bazin Bernhard Hommel Sarah Habli Desmond HY Tse Asta K Håberg Birte U Forstmann |
| author_sort | Anne C Trutti |
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| description | A growing body of research suggests that dopamine is involved in working memory updating and that the striatum takes up a critical role in the subprocess of working memory gating . In this study, we investigated subcortical – in particular, possible dopaminergic – involvement in working memory updating subprocesses using the reference-back task and ultrahigh field 7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a scanning protocol optimized for BOLD sensitivity in the subcortex, we found no evidence of subcortical activation during working memory gate opening, predominantly activations in frontoparietal network regions, which challenges the idea of a striatal gating mechanism. However, during gate closing, subcortical activation was observed. Furthermore, a ready-to-update mode demonstrated large-spread subcortical activation, including basal ganglia nuclei, suggesting that the basal ganglia are engaged in general updating processes rather than specifically controlling the working memory gate. Moreover, substituting new information into working memory elicited activation in dopamine-producing midbrain regions along with the striatum, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex, indicating engagement of the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop possibly driven by (potential) dopaminergic activity. These findings expand our understanding of subcortical regions involved in working memory updating, shifting the focus from gate opening to substitution as a midbrain-driven updating process. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dabd1b81089944e28c5fda40ef4d4f05 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj-art-dabd1b81089944e28c5fda40ef4d4f052025-08-20T03:29:49ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2025-06-011310.7554/eLife.97874Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRIAnne C Trutti0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0044-4846Zsuzsika Sjoerds1Russell J Boag2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7689-0682Solenn LY Walstra3Steven Miletić4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7399-2926Scott JS Isherwood5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2045-9268Pierre-Louis Bazin6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0141-5510Bernhard Hommel7Sarah Habli8Desmond HY Tse9Asta K Håberg10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9007-1202Birte U Forstmann11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1005-1675Integrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, NetherlandsCognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, NetherlandsIntegrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsIntegrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsIntegrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, NetherlandsIntegrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsFull brain picture Analytics, Leiden, NetherlandsDepartment of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, ChinaNorwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NorwayNorwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NorwayNorwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NorwayIntegrative Model-Based Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsA growing body of research suggests that dopamine is involved in working memory updating and that the striatum takes up a critical role in the subprocess of working memory gating . In this study, we investigated subcortical – in particular, possible dopaminergic – involvement in working memory updating subprocesses using the reference-back task and ultrahigh field 7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a scanning protocol optimized for BOLD sensitivity in the subcortex, we found no evidence of subcortical activation during working memory gate opening, predominantly activations in frontoparietal network regions, which challenges the idea of a striatal gating mechanism. However, during gate closing, subcortical activation was observed. Furthermore, a ready-to-update mode demonstrated large-spread subcortical activation, including basal ganglia nuclei, suggesting that the basal ganglia are engaged in general updating processes rather than specifically controlling the working memory gate. Moreover, substituting new information into working memory elicited activation in dopamine-producing midbrain regions along with the striatum, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex, indicating engagement of the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop possibly driven by (potential) dopaminergic activity. These findings expand our understanding of subcortical regions involved in working memory updating, shifting the focus from gate opening to substitution as a midbrain-driven updating process.https://elifesciences.org/articles/97874human subcortexbasal gangliamidbrain |
| spellingShingle | Anne C Trutti Zsuzsika Sjoerds Russell J Boag Solenn LY Walstra Steven Miletić Scott JS Isherwood Pierre-Louis Bazin Bernhard Hommel Sarah Habli Desmond HY Tse Asta K Håberg Birte U Forstmann Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRI eLife human subcortex basal ganglia midbrain |
| title | Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRI |
| title_full | Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRI |
| title_fullStr | Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRI |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRI |
| title_short | Investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7T MRI |
| title_sort | investigating working memory updating processes of the human subcortex using 7t mri |
| topic | human subcortex basal ganglia midbrain |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/97874 |
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