Transforming the Choice Outcome to an Action Plan in Monkey Lateral Prefrontal Cortex: A Neural Circuit Model

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Decision Science

Background:

• Economic decisions involve choosing a good and then acting to obtain it.
• Understanding the neural mechanisms of transforming choices into actions is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the neural circuit mechanisms underlying the transformation of economic choices into actions.
• To propose a biologically plausible neural circuit architecture for this process.

Main Methods:

• Constructed a neural circuit model with modules for choice, target integration, and action planning.
• Examined three scenarios for action plan emergence and compared with experimental data.
• Analyzed neural activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) of behaving monkeys.

Main Results:

• The model predicts three types of neurons with distinct functions, confirmed by LPFC neural activity.
• A clearer classification of functional neuron types was found in ventral LPFC compared to dorsal LPFC.
• This suggests the action plan is initially generated in the ventral LPFC.

Conclusions:

• The developed model provides a biologically plausible neural circuit architecture for good-to-action transformation.
• Findings highlight the role of the LPFC, particularly its ventral region, in economic decision-making and action planning.