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Canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility

The prefrontal cortex (PFC)’s functions are thought to include working memory, as its activity can reflect information that must be temporarily maintained to realize the current goal. We designed a flexible spatial working memory task that required rats to navigate – after distractions and a delay –...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Böhm, Claudia, Lee, Albert K
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7781596/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33357380
http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.63035
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author Böhm, Claudia
Lee, Albert K
author_facet Böhm, Claudia
Lee, Albert K
author_sort Böhm, Claudia
collection PubMed
description The prefrontal cortex (PFC)’s functions are thought to include working memory, as its activity can reflect information that must be temporarily maintained to realize the current goal. We designed a flexible spatial working memory task that required rats to navigate – after distractions and a delay – to multiple possible goal locations from different starting points and via multiple routes. This made the current goal location the key variable to remember, instead of a particular direction or route to the goal. However, across a broad population of PFC neurons, we found no evidence of current-goal-specific memory in any previously reported form – that is differences in the rate, sequence, phase, or covariance of firing. This suggests that such patterns do not hold working memory in the PFC when information must be employed flexibly. Instead, the PFC grouped locations representing behaviorally equivalent task features together, consistent with a role in encoding long-term knowledge of task structure.
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spelling pubmed-77815962021-01-06 Canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility Böhm, Claudia Lee, Albert K eLife Neuroscience The prefrontal cortex (PFC)’s functions are thought to include working memory, as its activity can reflect information that must be temporarily maintained to realize the current goal. We designed a flexible spatial working memory task that required rats to navigate – after distractions and a delay – to multiple possible goal locations from different starting points and via multiple routes. This made the current goal location the key variable to remember, instead of a particular direction or route to the goal. However, across a broad population of PFC neurons, we found no evidence of current-goal-specific memory in any previously reported form – that is differences in the rate, sequence, phase, or covariance of firing. This suggests that such patterns do not hold working memory in the PFC when information must be employed flexibly. Instead, the PFC grouped locations representing behaviorally equivalent task features together, consistent with a role in encoding long-term knowledge of task structure. eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd 2020-12-24 /pmc/articles/PMC7781596/ /pubmed/33357380 http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.63035 Text en © 2020, Böhm and Lee http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Neuroscience
Böhm, Claudia
Lee, Albert K
Canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility
title Canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility
title_full Canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility
title_fullStr Canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility
title_full_unstemmed Canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility
title_short Canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility
title_sort canonical goal-selective representations are absent from prefrontal cortex in a spatial working memory task requiring behavioral flexibility
topic Neuroscience
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7781596/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33357380
http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.63035
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AT leealbertk canonicalgoalselectiverepresentationsareabsentfromprefrontalcortexinaspatialworkingmemorytaskrequiringbehavioralflexibility