CONTROL OF VISUAL CORTICAL SIGNALS BY PREFRONTAL DOPAMINE

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to modulate sensory signals in posterior cortices during top-down attention(1,2), yet little is known about the underlying neural circuitry. Experimental and clinical evidence suggest that prefrontal dopamine plays an important role in cognitive functions(3), acting predominantly through D1 receptors (D1Rs). Here we show that dopamine D1Rs mediate prefrontal control of signals within visual cortex. We pharmacologically altered D1R-mediated activity within the frontal eye field (FEF) of the PFC and measured its effects on the responses of neurons within visual cortex. This manipulation was sufficient to enhance the response magnitude, orientation selectivity and response reliability of neurons in area V4 to an extent comparable with the known effects of top-down attention. The observed enhancement in V4 signals was restricted to neurons with response fields (RFs) overlapping the part of visual space affected by the D1R manipulation. Altering D1R or D2R-mediated FEF activity increased saccadic target selection, but the D2R manipulation did not enhance V4 signals. Our results identify a role of D1Rs in mediating the control of visual cortical signals by the PFC and demonstrate how processing within sensory areas can be altered in mental disorders involving prefrontal dopamine.