Decoding working memory information from neurons with and without persistent activity in the primate prefrontal cortex

Competing theories suggest that neurons that generate persistent activity or do not are primarily responsible for the maintenance of information, particularly regarding object working memory. Although the two models have been debated on theoretical terms, direct comparison of empirical results has been lacking. Analysis of neural activity in a large database of prefrontal recordings revealed that neurons that generate persistent activity were primarily responsible for the maintenance of both spatial and object working memory.