Abstract
Prefrontal cortical (PFC) activity in the primate brain emerging from minicolumnar microcircuits plays a critical role in cognitive processes dealing with executive control of behavior. However, the specific operations of columnar laminar processing in prefrontal cortex (PFC) are not completely understood. Here we show via implementation of unique microanatomical recording and stimulating arrays, that minicolumns in PFC are involved in the executive control of behavior in rhesus macaque nonhuman primates (NHPs) performing a delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) task. PFC neurons demonstrate functional interactions between pairs of putative pyramidal cells within specified cortical layers via anatomically oriented minicolumns. Results reveal target-specific, spatially tuned firing between inter-laminar (layer 2/3 and layer 5) pairs of neurons participating in the gating of information during the decision making phase of the task with differential correlations between activity in layer 2/3 and layer 5 in the integration of spatial vs. object-specific information for correct task performance. Such inter-laminar processing was exploited by the interfacing of an online model which delivered stimulation to layer 5 locations in a pattern associated with successful performance thereby closing the columnar loop externally in a manner that mimicked normal processing in the same task. These unique technologies demonstrate that PFC neurons encode and process information via minicolumns which provides a closed loop form of "executive function," hence disruption of such inter-laminar processing could form the bases for cognitive dysfunction in primate brain.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-42 |
| Number of pages | 42 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Neural Circuits |
| Issue number | OCTOBER 2012 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 30 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Columnar correlates of target selection
- Columnar correlates of task difficulty
- Inter-laminar correlated firing
- Nonhuman primates
- Prefrontal cortex
- Spatial vs. object tuning
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience (miscellaneous)
- Sensory Systems
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Cite this
Closing the loop in primate prefrontal cortex : Inter-laminar processing. / Opris, Ioan; Fuqua, Joshua L.; Huettl, Peter F.; Gerhardt, Greg A.; Berger, Theodore W.; Hampson, Robert E.; Deadwyler, Sam A.
In: Frontiers in Neural Circuits, No. OCTOBER 2012, 30.10.2012, p. 1-42.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Closing the loop in primate prefrontal cortex
T2 - Inter-laminar processing
AU - Opris, Ioan
AU - Fuqua, Joshua L.
AU - Huettl, Peter F.
AU - Gerhardt, Greg A.
AU - Berger, Theodore W.
AU - Hampson, Robert E.
AU - Deadwyler, Sam A.
PY - 2012/10/30
Y1 - 2012/10/30
N2 - Prefrontal cortical (PFC) activity in the primate brain emerging from minicolumnar microcircuits plays a critical role in cognitive processes dealing with executive control of behavior. However, the specific operations of columnar laminar processing in prefrontal cortex (PFC) are not completely understood. Here we show via implementation of unique microanatomical recording and stimulating arrays, that minicolumns in PFC are involved in the executive control of behavior in rhesus macaque nonhuman primates (NHPs) performing a delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) task. PFC neurons demonstrate functional interactions between pairs of putative pyramidal cells within specified cortical layers via anatomically oriented minicolumns. Results reveal target-specific, spatially tuned firing between inter-laminar (layer 2/3 and layer 5) pairs of neurons participating in the gating of information during the decision making phase of the task with differential correlations between activity in layer 2/3 and layer 5 in the integration of spatial vs. object-specific information for correct task performance. Such inter-laminar processing was exploited by the interfacing of an online model which delivered stimulation to layer 5 locations in a pattern associated with successful performance thereby closing the columnar loop externally in a manner that mimicked normal processing in the same task. These unique technologies demonstrate that PFC neurons encode and process information via minicolumns which provides a closed loop form of "executive function," hence disruption of such inter-laminar processing could form the bases for cognitive dysfunction in primate brain.
AB - Prefrontal cortical (PFC) activity in the primate brain emerging from minicolumnar microcircuits plays a critical role in cognitive processes dealing with executive control of behavior. However, the specific operations of columnar laminar processing in prefrontal cortex (PFC) are not completely understood. Here we show via implementation of unique microanatomical recording and stimulating arrays, that minicolumns in PFC are involved in the executive control of behavior in rhesus macaque nonhuman primates (NHPs) performing a delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) task. PFC neurons demonstrate functional interactions between pairs of putative pyramidal cells within specified cortical layers via anatomically oriented minicolumns. Results reveal target-specific, spatially tuned firing between inter-laminar (layer 2/3 and layer 5) pairs of neurons participating in the gating of information during the decision making phase of the task with differential correlations between activity in layer 2/3 and layer 5 in the integration of spatial vs. object-specific information for correct task performance. Such inter-laminar processing was exploited by the interfacing of an online model which delivered stimulation to layer 5 locations in a pattern associated with successful performance thereby closing the columnar loop externally in a manner that mimicked normal processing in the same task. These unique technologies demonstrate that PFC neurons encode and process information via minicolumns which provides a closed loop form of "executive function," hence disruption of such inter-laminar processing could form the bases for cognitive dysfunction in primate brain.
KW - Columnar correlates of target selection
KW - Columnar correlates of task difficulty
KW - Inter-laminar correlated firing
KW - Nonhuman primates
KW - Prefrontal cortex
KW - Spatial vs. object tuning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84870002685&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84870002685&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fncir.2012.00088
DO - 10.3389/fncir.2012.00088
M3 - Article
C2 - 23189041
AN - SCOPUS:84870002685
SP - 1
EP - 42
JO - Frontiers in Neural Circuits
JF - Frontiers in Neural Circuits
SN - 1662-5110
IS - OCTOBER 2012
ER -