THE ROLE OF THE VENTRAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX IN WORKING MEMORY

Working memory system is responsible for short-term storage and on-line manipulation of information necessary for higher cognitive functions. This conception of working memory assumes that it involves processes that monitor and maintain incoming information, as well as processes that update this information. Several studies have attributed these processes to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. However, there is a growing body of evidence that the ventromedial portion of the prefrontal cortex is also implicated. The present paper reviews current clinical and neuroimaging data showing the role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in operations that have been attributed to the working memory system.