Opening the gate to working memory

摘要

In a changing and complex world, we require the ability to sustain pursuit of a goal, while also updating our goals as the need arises. For example, we are capable of rapidly shifting tasks, such as stopping work on a paper to have an involved discussion with a colleague. However, we are also able to avoid distracting cues, such as ignoring the unread e-mail messages incrementing in our inbox while we write. The mechanisms by which the brain achieves an adaptive balance between flexibility and stability remain the basis of much current investigation in cognitive neuroscience.