Working memory and executive function: evidence from neuroimaging

Traditional theories of working memory and executive function, when mapped in straightforward ways into the neural domain, yield predictions that are only partly supported by the recent neuroimaging studies. Neuroimaging stud ies suggest that some constituent functions, such as maintaining informatio n in active form and manipulating it, are not discretely localized in prefr ontal regions. Some hypothesized executive processes, such as goal manageme nt, have effects in several cortical regions, including posterior regions. Such results suggest a more dynamic and distributed view of the cortical or ganization of working memory and executive functions.