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Cholinergic neuromodulation of prefrontal attractor dynamics controls performance in spatial working memory
Alexandre Mahrach1, David Bestue1, Xue-Lian Qi2
1Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|January 31, 2024
Summary
Cholinergic stimulation of the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert (NB) enhances behavioral performance by broadening neural tuning in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). This occurs through attractor dynamics that improve memory precision, overriding accuracy for better task outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Acetylcholine's role in cognitive functions is well-established.
- Nucleus Basalis of Meynert (NB) stimulation has shown paradoxical effects on behavior and neural activity.
- Previous studies noted enhanced performance and broader neural tuning in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) post-NB stimulation, but the underlying mechanism was unclear.
Conclusions:
- Cholinergic neuromodulation, via NB stimulation, enhances spatial working memory by perturbing PFC attractor dynamics.
- The findings provide a mechanistic link between neural excitability, attractor dynamics, and cognitive performance.
- This study offers insights into how neuromodulation optimizes memory by balancing precision and accuracy.
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