This review examines evidence for a neurobiological explanation of executive functions of working memory.  We suggest that executive control stems from information about task rules acquired by mixed selective, adaptive coding, multifunction neurons in the prefrontal cortex.  Their output dynamically links the cortical-wide networks needed to complete the task.  The linking may occur via synchronizing of neural rhythms, which may explain why we have a limited capacity for simultaneous thought.

About the Author


The Miller Lab uses experimental and theoretical approaches to study the neural basis of the high-level cognitive functions that underlie complex goal-directed behavior. ekmillerlab.mit.edu