Resumen

MARIN-PICADO, Bradly; GONZALEZ FLORES, Luis Carlos  y  RODRIGUEZ-VILLAGRA, Odir Antonio. Brain Electrical Activity of the Mechanisms Involved in the Maintenance of Information in Working Memory: a Review. Rev. Costarric. Psic [online]. 2025, vol.44, n.1, e360.  Epub 02-Jun-2026. ISSN 1659-2913.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22544/rcps.v44i01.13.

The documented limitations of working memory have fostered the study of the neurophysiological correlates of information maintenance. Various researchers have evaluated brain activity using different methodologies, making a comprehensive evaluation of the findings necessary. In this systematic review, we analyzed brain activity in studies that include subvocal rehearsal, attentional refreshing, and elaboration as mechanisms of information maintenance. Additionally, we examined the theoretical and operational consistency of these mechanisms across different studies. We conducted the literature review between July 5, 2023, and April 2, 2024, in databases such as EBSCOHost, ScienceDirect, Pubmed, Proquest, Redalyc, Scielo, PsyArxiv, PsycNet, Springerlink, and GoogleScholar. We selected published studies, preprints, or theses with experimental or quasi-experimental designs that focused on mechanisms of working memory maintenance and analyzed brain activity. The 21 included studies showed a reasonable methodological rigor (Range = 15-24). We identified that, during maintenance periods, there was modulation of activity in ERP components, in different frequency bands, and synchronization of activity in various brain regions. Most studies referenced the phonological loop and sustained attention as mechanisms of subvocal rehearsal and attentional refreshing, respectively. Regarding elaboration, the two included articles characterized it as the brain and cognitive activity during maintenance intervals. With this work, we seek to promote research agendas that better integrate theory and findings in this field.

Palabras clave : working memory; brain electrical activity; electroencephalography; attentional refreshing; subvocal re-hearsal; elaboration; systematic review..

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