Overview
- Monkeys performed a visual working-memory task with occasional distractions while hundreds of prefrontal neurons were recorded.
- Subspace coding showed rotational population dynamics that appeared only following distractions.
- Direct recordings revealed a traveling cortical wave matching the mathematical rotation in direction and speed.
- Performance tracked the rotation: correct trials completed the circle, whereas errors showed slower, approximately 30-degree shortfalls.
- Recovery improved with more time after distraction before responding, in results reported Nov. 3 in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.