Visual Working Memory Representations Selectively Drop in Contralateral Visual Cortex but Remain Decodable in Parietal Cortex after Eye Movements

It has been suggested that our visual system does not only process stimuli that are directly available to our eyes but also has a role in maintaining information in visual working memory (VWM) over seconds. However, two critical questions remain unresolved. First, are VWM representations spatially specific to the retinotopic location of stimuli in the absence of eye movements? Second, how are VWM representations in the visual system affected by eye movements? In this study, we examined VWM representations in early visual cortex (EVC) and parietal cortex in both no-saccade and saccade conditions using multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of delay-related activity measured with fMRI. In the no-saccade condition, remembered information was represented in both the contralateral and ipsilateral hemispheres in almost all regions, supporting the hypothesis of spatially global representations. Interestingly, following an eye movement, VWM representations in both hemispheres of the intraparietal sulcus remained decodable and showed no significant drop across saccades. In contrast, VWM representations in contralateral EVC were selectively disrupted, whereas ipsilateral EVC representations remained decodable. Moreover, the overall VWM representations in EVC were not affected by saccades. Together, these findings suggest that EVC may contribute to VWM in an adaptive and flexible manner, thereby supporting its potential contribution as neural substrates for memory storage.