Instruct: Identify the main category of Biorxiv papers based on the titles and abstracts
Query: Single trial variability in neural activity during a working memory task: A window into multiple distinct information processing sequences Successful encoding, maintenance, and retrieval of information stored in working memory requires persistent coordination of activity among multiple brain regions. It is generally assumed that the pattern of such coordinated activity remains constant for a given task, and therefore to account for noisy data, multiple trials of the same task are performed, and the neural response is averaged across trials to generate an event-related potential (ERP). However, here we show that from trial to trial, the neuronal activity recorded with electroencephalogram (EEG) is actually spatially and temporally diverse, conflicting with the assumption of a single pattern of coordinated response for a given task. We develop a data-driven classification method based on community detection to identify trials with unique spatial and temporal activity and establish that variability in neuronal activity among single time-locked trials arises from the presence of distinct forms of stimulus dependent synchronized activity (i.e., ERPs). The patterns of neuronal activity among trials are limited to a few distinct clusters, or subtypes, that are spatially and temporally distinct and associated with differences in decision-making processes. These results demonstrate that differences in the patterns of neural activity during working memory tasks represent fluctuations in the engagement of distinct brain regions and cognitive processes, suggesting that the brain can choose from multiple mechanisms to perform a given task.

Significance StatementWorking memory is a complex cognitive ability requiring coordinated activity among multiple brain regions to encode, maintain, and retrieve information. It is generally assumed that the pattern coordination between brain regions remains constant and one can average data across multiple trials of the same task. We instead show that there is significant variability in the patterns of brain activity between trials of the same task and develop a method to classify brain activity into distinct subtypes of responses, each with a different spatial and temporal pattern. The subtypes can be associated with differences in decision-making processes, suggesting that the brain can use multiple mechanisms to perform a given task.
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The categories of this paper are: biology
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The categories of this paper are: zoology
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The categories of this paper are: bioinformatics
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The categories of this paper are: cognition
29
The categories of this paper are: education
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The categories of this paper are: ecology
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The categories of this paper are: toxicology
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The categories of this paper are: scientific
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The categories of this paper are: animal
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The categories of this paper are: behavior
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The categories of this paper are: molecular
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The categories of this paper are: cancer
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The categories of this paper are: plant
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The categories of this paper are: evolutionary
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The categories of this paper are: immunology
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The categories of this paper are: developmental