The lateral intraparietal cortex (area LIP) is found in the

intraparietal sulcus The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) is located on the lateral surface of the parietal lobe, and consists of an oblique and a horizontal portion. The IPS contains a series of functionally distinct subregions that have been intensively investigated usin ...

of the brain. This area is most likely involved in eye movement, as electrical stimulation evokes

saccade A saccade ( , French for ''jerk'') is a quick, simultaneous movement of both eyes between two or more phases of fixation in the same direction.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishi ...

s (quick movements) of the eyes. It is also thought to contribute to

working memory Working memory is a cognitive system with a limited capacity that can hold information temporarily. It is important for reasoning and the guidance of decision-making and behavior. Working memory is often used synonymously with short-term memory, ...

associated with guiding eye movement, examined using a delayed saccade task described below:Pesaran, B., Pezaris, J. S., Sahani, M., Mitra, P. P., & Andersen, R. A. (2002). Temporal structure in neuronal activity during working memory in macaque parietal cortex. Nature neuroscience, 5(8), 805-811. #A subject focuses on a fixation point at the center of a computer screen. #A target (for instance a shape) is presented at a peripheral location on the screen. #The target is removed and followed by a variable-length delay period. #The initial focus point in the middle of the screen is removed. #The subject's task is to make a saccade to the location of the target. Neurons in area LIP have been shown to start responding with the initial presentation of the stimulus. The neurons keep responding through the delay period until the saccadic eye movement starts and the animal soon focuses on the exact location of the previously shown target. There is also evidence for neurons firing for saccadic responses in the

two-alternative forced choice Two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) is a method for measuring the sensitivity of a person, child or infant, or animal to some particular sensory input, stimulus, through that observer's pattern of choices and response times to two versions of the s ...

task. The conclusion of this task experiment is that neurons in area LIP store information (the location of the target) useful for guiding the saccadic movement; that is, this area of the cortex shows

modality Modality may refer to: Humanities * Modality (theology), the organization and structure of the church, as distinct from sodality or parachurch organizations * Modality (music), in music, the subject concerning certain diatonic scales * Modaliti ...

-specific working memory. Areas showing specificity for other modalities have been located.

References

Memory Cerebrum {{neuroanatomy-stub