TY - JOUR TI - Persistent neural activity in auditory cortex is related to auditory working memory in humans and nonhuman primates AU - Huang, Ying AU - Matysiak, Artur AU - Heil, Peter AU - König, Reinhard AU - Brosch, Michael A2 - King, Andrew J VL - 5 PY - 2016 DA - 2016/07/20 SP - e15441 C1 - eLife 2016;5:e15441 DO - 10.7554/eLife.15441 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15441 AB - Working memory is the cognitive capacity of short-term storage of information for goal-directed behaviors. Where and how this capacity is implemented in the brain are unresolved questions. We show that auditory cortex stores information by persistent changes of neural activity. We separated activity related to working memory from activity related to other mental processes by having humans and monkeys perform different tasks with varying working memory demands on the same sound sequences. Working memory was reflected in the spiking activity of individual neurons in auditory cortex and in the activity of neuronal populations, that is, in local field potentials and magnetic fields. Our results provide direct support for the idea that temporary storage of information recruits the same brain areas that also process the information. Because similar activity was observed in the two species, the cellular bases of some auditory working memory processes in humans can be studied in monkeys. KW - Longtail macaque KW - working memory KW - auditory cortex KW - persistent neuronal activity JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -