ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with neuropsychological and physiological aspects of prospective memory (PM). It addresses the following aspects: neural bases, electrophysiological correlates, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and psychophysiological correlates. Studies involving positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging converge in revealing the activation of a broadly distributed set of regions during the execution of PM tasks. One of the regions that have been most consistently found activated in PM experiments is the anterior prefrontal cortex. According to one of the most prominent models developed in the PM field, namely the Multiprocess model, the fulfillment of delayed intentions can be supported by multiple distinct processes. A key factor that appears to modulate the cognitive and neural processes underlying PM is focality of the PM task. A meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies of PM directly explored the differences in the pattern of brain activation as a function of PM focality.
