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Controlling human striatal cognitive function via the frontal cortex.

Martine R van Schouwenburg1, Jacinta O'Shea, Rogier B Mars

  • 1Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands. m.vanschouwenburg@donders.ru.nl

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|April 20, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The frontal cortex controls cognitive flexibility by regulating the striatum through specific connections. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the frontal cortex altered functional signals in the putamen, supporting this topographically specific control.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Cognitive flexibility relies on the striatum, but also involves the frontal cortex.
  • The precise mechanisms of frontal cortex control over striatal function in cognitive flexibility are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that the human frontal cortex regulates cognitive flexibility by modulating striatal function via topographically specific frontostriatal connections.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the frontal cortex, known to increase striatal dopamine release.
  • Combined TMS with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a cognitive switching task.
  • Assessed functional and topographic specificity of TMS effects at the whole-brain level, comparing frontal and medial parietal cortex stimulation.

Main Results:

  • Frontal cortex TMS perturbed task-specific functional signals in the putamen, a key striatal substructure for cognitive switching.
  • TMS over the frontal cortex reduced fronto-striatal functional connectivity.
  • No significant effects were observed with TMS over the medial parietal cortex, indicating topographic specificity.

Conclusions:

  • The findings strengthen the hypothesis that cognitive flexibility involves topographic frontal control of striatal function.
  • Demonstrates a specific pathway through which the frontal cortex exerts topographically organized influence over the striatum to support cognitive flexibility.