Cingulate microstimulation induces negative decision-making via reduced top-down influence on primate...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Primate Research

Background:

• The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) plays a key role in emotional regulation, important for preventing depression.
• The fronto-cingulo-striatal (FCS) network, encompassing dlPFC and limbic areas, is linked to negative evaluation biases common in depression.
• The precise mechanisms of dlPFC's regulation over the limbic system are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying negative evaluation biases in decision-making.
• To explore the role of functional connectivity within the FCS network in emotional regulation.
• To model aspects of depression-related cognitive biases in a non-human primate.

Main Methods:

• Microstimulation of the subgenual cingulate cortex in female primates during a conflict decision-making task.
• Simultaneous recording of fronto-cingulo-striatal (FCS) local field potentials (LFPs).
• Analysis of functional connectivity using Granger causality in beta-range LFPs to assess directional influence between dlPFC and other FCS regions.

Main Results:

• Successfully induced a negative bias in decision-making through subgenual cingulate cortex stimulation.
• Observed a significant decrease in functional connectivity from cognitive dlPFC to limbic FCS regions.
• Demonstrated a reduction in Granger causality in beta-range LFPs from dlPFC, indicating diminished top-down influence.

Conclusions:

• A loss of top-down directional influence from cognitive to limbic regions may underlie negative decision-making biases seen in depression.
• Altered functional connectivity within the FCS network is implicated in the pathophysiology of depressive biases.
• This study provides insights into the neural basis of emotional dysregulation and cognitive biases in affective disorders.