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Understanding the intricate workings of the human brain's memory functions has long been a pursuit of scientific inquiry.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington delves into this realm, uncovering a potential link between pupil dilation and working memory performance.

Working memory, a crucial aspect of the brain's executive functions, enables individuals to process and retain information, both in the short term for immediate tasks and in the long term for future use.

Despite its significance, working memory abilities vary widely among individuals, prompting researchers to explore the underlying factors contributing to this variability.

Led by Assistant Professor of Psychology Matthew Robison and doctoral student Lauren D. Garner, the study aimed to investigate whether pupil dilation, observed through continuous eye-tracking, could serve as a reliable indicator of working memory performance.

Published in Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, the study involved 179 undergraduate students at UT Arlington who participated in various working memory tasks.

Participants' pupils were continuously monitored using an eye tracker while they engaged in tasks requiring them to retain and recall information over short intervals.

The findings revealed a compelling correlation between pupil dilation and working memory performance. Notably, participants who exhibited greater pupil dilation during cognitive tasks tended to perform better on tests assessing their working memory abilities.

"What we found was that the lowest performers on the tasks showed less pupil dilation," Robison said, according to Neuroscience News.

Robison noted that individuals with higher working memory performance demonstrated both larger overall pupil dilations and heightened sensitivity of pupil response compared to lower-performing counterparts.

This suggests that pupil dilation may serve as a marker of attention and cognitive engagement, offering valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of working memory.

The study's implications extend beyond academic curiosity, offering potential applications in understanding and enhancing cognitive performance. By elucidating the relationship between pupil dilation and working memory, researchers take a significant step toward unraveling the mysteries of memory variability among individuals.

"This is exciting research because it adds another valuable piece of the puzzle to our understanding of why working memory varies between individuals," Robison said.