Dorsal prefrontal cortex drives perseverative behavior in mice.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Science
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Perseveration, the repetition of an action despite lower rewards, is a common behavior with unknown purpose and neural mechanisms.
• Understanding the neural basis of perseveration is critical for addressing related cognitive deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the neural correlates and causal role of specific brain regions in perseveration.
• To investigate the function of the dorsal prefrontal cortex, particularly the anterior secondary motor cortex (MOs), in a dynamic reward learning task.

Main Methods:

• Mice performed a dynamic reward learning task involving left/right wheel turns with switching reward probabilities.
• Neuropixels recordings were used to monitor neuronal activity during the task.
• Optogenetic inhibition was employed to selectively inactivate brain regions (anterior MOs and medial prefrontal cortex).

Main Results:

• Neuronal activity in the anterior MOs correlated with perseveration and predicted faster reaction times for repeated choices.
• Optogenetic inhibition of the anterior MOs reduced perseveration and slowed reaction times.
• Inactivation of the medial prefrontal cortex affected learning post-reward but not choice behavior during the decision period.

Conclusions:

• The anterior secondary motor cortex (MOs) plays a causal role in mediating perseverative behavior and its impact on choice and reaction time.
• Specific roles were delineated for anterior MOs in decision variables and medial prefrontal cortex in learning.
• This study provides a neural basis for understanding perseverative decision-making.