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Science 27 February 1998:
Vol. 279. no. 5355, pp. 1347 - 1351
DOI: 10.1126/science.279.5355.1347
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Reports

An Area Specialized for Spatial Working Memory in Human Frontal Cortex

Susan M. Courtney, * Laurent Petit, José Ma. Maisog, Leslie G. Ungerleider, James V. Haxby

Working memory is the process of maintaining an active representation of information so that it is available for use. In monkeys, a prefrontal cortical region important for spatial working memory lies in and around the principal sulcus, but in humans the location, and even the existence, of a region for spatial working memory is in dispute. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans, an area in the superior frontal sulcus was identified that is specialized for spatial working memory. This area is located more superiorly and posteriorly in the human than in the monkey brain, which may explain why it was not recognized previously.

Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Building 10, Room 4C104, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-1366, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Susan Courtney{at}nih.gov

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