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Updated: Mar 31, 2026

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
Published on: July 29, 2025
Prefrontal spatial working memory network predicts animal's decision making in a free choice saccade task.
Kei Mochizuki1, Shintaro Funahashi2
1Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; and.
Neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) influence free choice decisions by biasing spatial representations before cues appear. This precue activity in the PFC shapes subsequent action selection in working memory tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Decision Making
Background:
- Lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) neurons encode spatial information for working memory.
- PFC neurons also contribute to subjective behaviors like spatial attention and action selection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze primate PFC neuronal activity during a free-choice memory-guided saccade task.
- To investigate how PFC activity influences self-initiated action selection.
Main Methods:
- Recorded primate PFC neuronal activity during a memory-guided saccade task with free choice.
- Analyzed neuronal firing patterns in relation to chosen saccade direction and cue presentation.
Main Results:
- PFC neurons with spatially selective responses showed increased activation before cue onset in chosen trials.
- This precue activity biased spatial representation, influencing subsequent choice.
- Choice-dependent modulation occurred in neurons with sustained activity and depended on cue configuration.
Conclusions:
- Precue fluctuations in spatial representation within the PFC network influence free choice decisions.
- The PFC plays a critical role in decision-making under free-choice conditions.
- PFC network architecture constrains the dynamics of decision-making processes.
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