Distributed functions of prefrontal and parietal cortices during sequential categorical decisions
Yang Zhou1,2, Matthew C Rosen1, Sruthi K Swaminathan1
1Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.
Elife
|September 7, 2021
Summary
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) leads decisions on matching or nonmatching stimuli, integrating information nonlinearly. This finding, supported by network models, reveals circuit-level mechanisms for sequential decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Sequential decision-making is vital for complex behaviors.
- Understanding the neural basis of integrating sequential information is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the roles of prefrontal cortex (PFC), lateral intraparietal (LIP), and medial intraparietal (MIP) areas in sequential stimulus comparison.
- To explore the neural mechanisms of matching/nonmatching decisions.
Main Methods:
- Neuronal recordings in monkeys performing a sequential stimulus comparison task.
- Analysis of neuronal responses in PFC, LIP, and MIP.
- Training and analysis of multi-module recurrent neural networks on the same task.
Main Results:
- PFC was identified as the leading area for matching/nonmatching decisions.
- LIP and MIP areas were associated with stimulus evaluation and motor planning, respectively.
- PFC demonstrated greater nonlinear integration of sequential stimuli compared to LIP, correlating with behavioral decisions.
- Neural networks replicated key PFC and LIP encoding features, with the PFC-like module causally involved in decisions.
Conclusions:
- PFC plays a leading role in sequential decision-making through nonlinear integration.
- LIP and MIP contribute to distinct stages of stimulus evaluation and motor planning.
- Recurrent neural networks provide a valuable model for understanding circuit-level mechanisms in sequential decision-making.
Keywords:
categorizationdelayed match to samplemixed selectivityneuroscienceparietalprefrontalrecurrent neural networkrhesus macaqueMore Related Videos
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