Cholinergic role in monkey dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during bar-press feeding behavior.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Primate Cognition
• Neurochemistry

Background:

• The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DL-PFC) plays a crucial role in executive functions.
• Cholinergic systems are implicated in modulating cortical activity and cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of acetylcholine (ACh) in modulating neuronal activity within the DL-PFC during a feeding behavior task in monkeys.
• To determine the specific receptors and pathways involved in cholinergic modulation.

Main Methods:

• Electrophysiological recordings were performed in monkeys engaged in a bar-press feeding task.
• Iontophoretic administration of ACh and atropine (an ACh antagonist) was used to modulate cholinergic activity.
• Neuronal responses were analyzed in relation to task events and BNM stimulation.

Main Results:

• Acetylcholine (ACh) application increased the firing rate of over half of the recorded DL-PFC cells, primarily via muscarinic receptors.
• Continuous ACh administration enhanced neuronal responses to task-related events, improving the signal-to-noise ratio.
• ACh antagonist application diminished these responses, while stimulation of the basal nucleus of Meynert (BNM) evoked cell discharges blocked by atropine.

Conclusions:

• Cholinergic inputs originating from the basal nucleus of Meynert (BNM) extensively innervate the DL-PFC.
• These cholinergic projections modulate neuronal excitability during feeding behavior, suggesting a role in attention and signal processing.