"We use a spiking neural network model of working memory (WM) capable of performing the spatial delayed response task (DRT) to investigate two drugs that affect WM: guanfacine (GFC) and phenylephrine (PHE). In this model, the loss of information over time results from changes in the spiking neural activity through recurrent connections. We reproduce the standard forgetting curve and then show that this curve changes in the presence of GFC and PHE, whose application is simulated by manipulating functional, neural, and biophysical properties of the model. ... We compare our model to both electrophysiological data from neurons in monkey dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and to behavioral evidence from monkeys performing the DRT."
Model Type: Realistic Network
Region(s) or Organism(s): Prefrontal cortex (PFC)
Model Concept(s): Working memory
Simulation Environment: Python (web link to model)
Implementer(s): Duggins, Peter [psipeter at gmail.com]
References:
Duggins P, Stewart TC, Choo X, Eliasmith C. (2017). The Effects of Guanfacine and Phenylephrine on a Spiking Neuron Model of Working Memory. Topics in cognitive science. 9 [PubMed]