Rats have working memory like humans

Brain's RAM! Rats, like humans, posses a working memory that helps the brain store sensory information for very short periods of time, to be able to use it later, scientists say.
A research study has shown, for the first time, that this function exists in the brain of rodents, a finding that sheds light on the evolutionary origins of this cognitive mechanism.
In computers it's called "RAM," but the mechanism is conceptually similar to what scientists call a "working memory" in the brain of humans and primates, researchers said.
When we interact with the environment, our senses gather information that a temporary memory system keeps fresh and readily accessible for a few minutes, so that the body can carry out operations, they said.

For the first time, a research team coordinated by Mathew Diamond of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy has shown that this memory system also exists in simpler mammals like rodents.
Working memory has been studied in detail in humans and primates, but little was known about its existence in other animals.

"Knowing that a working memory also exists in the brain of evolutionarily simpler organisms helps us to understand the origins of this important cognitive mechanism," said Diamond.
"Comparative psychology studies have historically helped scientists not only to trace the evolutionary roots of human brain functions but also to gain deeper insight into human cognitive processes themselves," said Diamond.

The type of sensory memory studied by Diamond and co-workers in rats is tactile memory. The performance of rodents in tasks assessing recognition of vibratory stimuli was compared with that of humans performing similar tasks (rats used their whiskers and humans their fingertips).
"Rats exhibited similar behaviour patterns to humans, demonstrating that these animals use a tactile working memory that enables them to recognise and interact with environmental stimuli," said Diamond.
"Working memory can hold only a limited amount of information for a fairly short period of time. These limits are the result of a cost-benefit balance: the brain's computational capacity is fixed and decisions as to what action to take often need to be quick and effective as the same time," Diamond said.

The research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).