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A Specialized Odor Memory Buffer in Primary Olfactory Cortex

BACKGROUND: The neural substrates of olfactory working memory are unknown. We addressed the questions of whether olfactory working memory involves a verbal representation of the odor, or a sensory image of the odor, or both, and the location of the neural substrates of these processes. METHODOLOGY/P...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Zelano, Christina, Montag, Jessica, Khan, Rehan, Sobel, Noam
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2009
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2654926/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19305509
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004965
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND: The neural substrates of olfactory working memory are unknown. We addressed the questions of whether olfactory working memory involves a verbal representation of the odor, or a sensory image of the odor, or both, and the location of the neural substrates of these processes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure activity in the brains of subjects who were remembering either nameable or unnameable odorants. We found a double dissociation whereby remembering nameable odorants was reflected in sustained activity in prefrontal language areas, and remembering unnameable odorants was reflected in sustained activity in primary olfactory cortex. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest a novel dedicated mechanism in primary olfactory cortex, where odor information is maintained in temporary storage to subserve ongoing tasks.