Neuronal correlates of goal-based motor selection in the prefrontal cortex.
Choosing an action that leads to a desired goal requires an understanding of the linkages between actions and their outcomes. We investigated neural mechanisms of such goal-based action selection. We trained monkeys on a task in which the relation between visual cues, action types, and reward conditions changed regularly, such that the monkeys selected their actions based on anticipated reward conditions. A significant number of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex were activated, after cue presentation and before motor execution, only by particular action-reward combinations. This prefrontal activity is likely to underlie goal-based action selection.
Matsumoto
Kenji
K
Cognitive Brain Mapping Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. matsumot@postman.riken.go.jp
Suzuki
Wataru
W
Tanaka
Keiji
K
D000200:Action Potentials; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D003463:Cues; D003657:Decision Making; D006040:Goals; D000882:Haplorhini; D007858:Learning; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012201:Reward