AN AREA SPECIALIZED FOR SPATIAL WORKING-MEMORY IN HUMAN FRONTAL-CORTEX

Working memory is the proc!ss of maintaining an active representation of information so that it is available for use. In monkeys, a prefront al cortical region important for spatial working memory lies in and ar ound the principal sulcus, but in humans the location, and even the ex istence, of a region for spatial working memory is in dispute. By usin g functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans, an area in the supe rior frontal sulcus was identified that is specialized for spatial wor king memory. This area is located more superiorly and posteriorly in t he human than in the monkey brain, which may explain why it was not re cognized previously.