The concept of visual association cortex derives from early myelogenetic studies, assorted cases of so-called visual agnosia and much philosophical speculation. A review of the evidence suggests that it is perhaps time to review our concept of the visual association cortex.

The ability to maintain representations in the absence of external sensory stimulation, such as in working memory, is critical for guiding human behavior. Human functional brain imaging studies suggest that visual working memory can recruit a network of brain regions from visual to parietal to prefrontal cortex. In this review, we focus on the maintenance of representations during visual workin...