Spike dynamics in primate lateral prefrontal cortex during working memory and decision-making: A fractal analysis

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• The lateral prefrontal cortex is crucial for working memory and decision-making.
• Understanding the neural dynamics underlying these functions is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the complexity of neural firing patterns in the macaque dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.
• To determine if fractal dimensions can differentiate cognitive processes and prefrontal regions.

Main Methods:

• Multiunit spike recordings from macaque dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.
• Quantification of inter-spike interval complexity using Higuchi, Katz, and box-counting fractal dimensions.
• Analysis during a match-to-sample task across different training phases and tasks.

Main Results:

• Fractal dimensions significantly differentiated cognitive processes related to working memory and decision-making.
• Distinct firing patterns were observed across prefrontal regions during specific time intervals, training phases, and tasks.
• Functional distinctions between dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex were most pronounced before training, suggesting roles in spatial and shape processing.

Conclusions:

• Fractal analysis serves as a potential biomarker for cognitive functions.
• Training significantly impacts the functional dynamics of prefrontal brain regions.
• This study enhances understanding of how the lateral prefrontal cortex processes spatial and visual information.