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Ramping dissociates motor and cognitive sequences in the parietal and prefrontal cortices
Hannah Doyle1, Rhys Yewbrey2, Katja Kornysheva2
1Department of Neuroscience, Brown University.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|October 17, 2024
Summary
Neural ramping activity during sequence execution differs between abstract and motor tasks. While abstract sequences show ramping in the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC), motor sequences activate the inferior parietal cortex instead.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neurobiology
Background:
- Human daily life involves abstract sequences (rule-based, slow) and motor sequences (movement-based, fast).
- Previous studies link neural ramping in the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) to abstract sequence execution.
- It was unknown if ramping also characterizes motor sequence production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether neural ramping occurs in the RLPFC during motor sequence production.
- To determine if ramping is a general signature of sequence execution or specific to abstract sequences.
Main Methods:
- Tested for significant ramping activity in the RLPFC during motor sequence production.
- Compared neural activity patterns between abstract and motor sequence tasks.
Main Results:
- No significant ramping activity was observed in the RLPFC during motor sequence production.
- Significant ramping activity was detected in the bilateral inferior parietal cortex during motor sequences.
- These parietal regions differed from those active during abstract sequence execution.
Conclusions:
- Ramping is not a universal signature of all sequence production.
- Distinct prefrontal-parietal brain circuits likely support abstract versus motor sequence execution.
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