Working out working memory

Abstract

How information is retained in working memory (WM) — particularly when it is not being directly attended but may still be potentially relevant — is not clear. WM has long been proposed to depend on persistent increases in neural activity; however, some recent studies instead suggest that non-attended WM information can be held by synaptic mechanisms independent of sustained activity, until it is needed. Postle and colleagues now report findings to support this latter model of WM: they find that unattended information can lie latent in WM and then be reactivated by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).