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Abrupt, Asynchronous Changes in Action Representations by Anterior Cingulate Cortex Neurons during Trial and Error
Eldon Emberly1, Jeremy K Seamans2
1Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|April 3, 2020
Summary
Neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) change their responses abruptly, not gradually, as animals learn. This asynchronous, individual change creates a gradual population-level shift, impacting decision-making strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Decision-making
- Behavioral science
Background:
- Action representations in the brain acquire value through learning.
- Striatal regions show gradual value acquisition.
- Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) neuronal representations often change abruptly, unlike striatal regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate if ACC neuronal representations acquire value gradually or abruptly.
- Understand the role of ACC in decision-making and learning.
- Examine the relationship between individual neuronal changes and population-level activity.
Main Methods:
- Recorded ensemble activity of ACC neurons in rats performing a lever-selection task.
- Monitored rat lever preferences and lever press responses.
- Analyzed neuronal response changes in relation to behavioral shifts.
Main Results:
- Rat lever preferences shifted gradually towards the rewarded lever.
- Most individual ACC neurons abruptly changed responses to lever presses (<2 trials).
- Asynchronous neuronal transitions across the population created a gradual population-level representation.
Conclusions:
- ACC neuronal representations change abruptly, contrasting with gradual learning in striatal regions.
- Asynchronous, abrupt individual neuronal transitions contribute to gradual population-level learning.
- Rapid changes in ACC action representations may facilitate adaptive choice strategies.
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