ABSTRACT
Objective To study the similarities and differences in brain activation under N-back and DMTS paradigms of working memory. Methods Through searching of BrainMap function database by the combination keywords,a total of 122 articles with 122 experiments ( N-back: 67 experiments,937 sub-jects,900 foci;Delayed Matched to Sample: 55 experiments,806 subjects,872 foci). Maps were analyzed using the FDR PN (P<0. 0001) method based coordinates of the Montreal Neurological Institute ( MNI) space. Results In the combine of the N-back and DMTS paradigms,these regions were activated including the bilateral inferior parietal lobe (Left: -36,-52,44; Right: 38,-52,48) and insula(Left:-34,22,0;Right:34,24,2),the superior frontal gyrus (2,16,50) and inferior frontal gyrus (-44,8,30) of the left brain,and the middle frontal ( 46,36,24) and sub-gyral ( 30,4,56) of the right brain. The N-back paradigm was similar to the above results,whereas the DMTS paradigm only activated the precentral gyrus (-50,8, 34) of the left brain and the right insula ( 34,24,4) . Conclusion The neural circuit of working memory is the frontal-parietal networks. N-back paradigm with the brain activation consists to the neural circuit of work-ing memory. However,DMTS paradigm activates less brain regions and is inconsistent to the neurons of work-ing memory.