Although many computational models of working memory have been developed, the mechanistic basis of executive function remains elusive.
PBWM is a computational model of the prefrontal cortex to control both itself and other brain areas in a strategic, task-appropriate manner.
These learning mechanisms are based on subcortical structures in the midbrain, basal ganglia and amygdala, which together form an actor/critic architecture.
The critic system learns which prefrontal representations are task-relevant and trains the actor, which in turn provides a dynamic gating mechanism for controlling working memory updating.
Computationally, the learning mechanism is designed to simultaneously solve the temporal and structural credit assignment problems.
[1][independent source needed] First, there are multiple separate stripes (groups of units) in the prefrontal cortex and striatum layers.
[citation needed] Ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) are part of the dopamine layer.