Matsushima and Tanaka examined the neural correlates of spatial working memory for one vs two locations.  When the two locations were in the same (right or left) hemifield, the level neural activity was intermediate between that elicited from either cue alone.  By contrast, when the cues were presented in opposite hemifields, neural activity to each cue was as if the cue was presented alone.  This lends support to other observations (e.g., Buschman et al 2011) that there are independent capacities for working memory in the right and left visual hemifields, as if the brain was split down the middle.

Further reading:
Buschman,T.J., Siegel, M., Roy, J.E. and Miller, E.K. (2011) Neural substrates of cognitive capacity limitations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108(27):11252-5. View PDF »

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