title: Prefrontal Neurons Encode Actions and Outcomes in Conjunction with Spatial Location in Rats Performing a Dynamic Delayed Non-Match to Position Task.
abstract: To respond adaptively to change organisms must utilize information about recent events and environmental context to select actions that are likely to produce favorable outcomes. We developed a dynamic delayed nonmatching to position task to study the influence of spatial context on event-related activity of medial prefrontal cortex neurons during reinforcement-guided decision-making. We found neurons with responses related to preparation, movement, lever press responses, reinforcement, and memory delays. Combined event-related and video tracking analyses revealed variability in spatial tuning of neurons with similar event-related activity. While all correlated neurons exhibited spatial tuning broadly consistent with relevant task events, for instance reinforcement-related activity concentrated in locations where reinforcement was delivered, some had elevated activity in more specific locations, for instance reinforcement-related activity in one of several locations where reinforcement was delivered. Timing analyses revealed a limited set of distinct response types with activity time-locked to critical behavioral events that represent the temporal organization of dDNMTP trials. Our results suggest that reinforcement-guided decision-making emerges from discrete populations of medial prefrontal neurons that encode information related to planned or ongoing movements and actions and anticipated or actual action-outcomes in conjunction with information about spatial context.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, United States of America.|The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609, United States of America.
authors: Kristen D
authors: KD
authors: Onos
authors: Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, United States of America.
authors: Miranda J
authors: MJ
authors: Francoeur
authors: Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, United States of America.
authors: Benjamin A
authors: BA
authors: Wormwood
authors: Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, United States of America.
authors: Rikki L A
authors: RL
authors: Miller
authors: Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, United States of America.
authors: Brett M
authors: BM
authors: Gibson
authors: Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, United States of America.
authors: Robert G
authors: RG
authors: Mair
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans