Short-term memory errors are strongly associated with a drift in neural activity in the posterior parietal cortex

Abstract

Understanding the neural mechanisms behind short-term memory (STM) errors is crucial for unraveling cognitive processes and addressing deficits associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. This study examines whether STM errors arise from misrepresentation of sensory information or decay in these representations over time. Using 2-photon calcium imaging in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) of mice performing a delayed match-to-sample task, we identified a subset of PPC neurons exhibiting both directional and temporal selectivity. Contrary to the hypothesis that STM errors primarily stem from mis-encoding during the sample phase, our findings reveal that these errors are more strongly associated with a drift in neural activity during the delay period. This drift leads to a gradual divergence away from the correct representation, ultimately leading to incorrect behavioral responses. These results emphasize the importance of maintaining stable neural representations in the PPC for accurate STM. Furthermore, they highlight the potential for therapeutic interventions aimed at stabilizing PPC activity during delay periods as a strategy for mitigating cognitive impairments in conditions like schizophrenia.