This paper investigates the role of oscillatory activity in short-term memory storage. Existing non-oscillatory models struggle to represent both stimulus identity and amplitude realistically. The authors propose a mechanism where oscillatory input enables a circuit to encode information in both spatial and amplitude patterns of activity through a phase-locking phenomenon. This allows for the storage of multiple activity amplitudes without requiring precise parameter tuning, offering a new model for working memory storage and a potential role for brain oscillations in maintaining multi-stable neural representations.

Kathleen P. Champion, Olivia Gozel, Benjamin S. Lankow, G. Bard Ermentrout, Mark S. Goldman