Mistakes were made: Neural mechanisms for the adaptive control of action initiation by the medial prefrontal cortex

Mark Laubach; Marcelo S Caetano; Nandakumar S Narayanan

doi:10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.12.001

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Mistakes were made: Neural mechanisms for the adaptive control of action initiation by the medial prefrontal cortex

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Mistakes were made: Neural mechanisms for the adaptive control of action initiation by the medial prefrontal cortex

Mark Laubach, Marcelo S Caetano and Nandakumar S Narayanan

Journal of physiology, Paris, Vol.109(1-3), pp.104-117

02/2015

DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.12.001

PMCID: PMC5292776

PMID: 25636373

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Abstract

•We report evidence for a role of mPFC in stimulus detection and time estimation.•Event-related potentials in mPFC are triggered by actions and action-imperative stimuli.•The ERPs are coterminous with major changes in neuronal population activity.•These events might serve as “time markers” denoting transitions between waiting and acting.•We propose a mechanism based on these signals that changes behavior after mistakes are made. Studies in rats, monkeys and humans have established that the medial prefrontal cortex is crucial for the ability to exert adaptive control over behavior. Here, we review studies on the role of the rat medial prefrontal cortex in adaptive control, with a focus on simple reaction time tasks that can be easily used across species and have clinical relevance. The performance of these tasks is associated with neural activity in the medial prefrontal cortex that reflects stimulus detection, action timing, and outcome monitoring. We describe rhythmic neural activity that occurs when animals initiate a temporally extended action. Such rhythmic activity is coterminous with major changes in population spike activity. Testing animals over a series of sessions with varying pre-stimulus intervals showed that the signals adapt to the current temporal demands of the task. Disruptions of rhythmic neural activity occur on error trials (premature responding) and lead to a persistent encoding of the error and a subsequent change in behavioral performance (i.e. post-error slowing). Analysis of simultaneously recorded spike activity suggests that the presence of strong theta rhythms is coterminous with altered network dynamics, and might serve as a mechanism for adaptive control. Computational modeling suggests that these signals may enable learning from errors. Together, our findings contribute to an emerging literature and provide a new perspective on the neuronal mechanisms for the adaptive control of action.

Learning

Anterior cingulate

Phase

Delta

Dynamics

Inhibition

Timing

Theta

Details

Title: Subtitle: Mistakes were made: Neural mechanisms for the adaptive control of action initiation by the medial prefrontal cortex
Creators: Mark Laubach - Department of Biology, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, American University, Washington, DC, USA
Marcelo S Caetano - Center for Mathematics, Computation and Cognition, Federal University of ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
Nandakumar S Narayanan - Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of physiology, Paris, Vol.109(1-3), pp.104-117
DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.12.001
PMID: 25636373
PMCID: PMC5292776
NLM abbreviation: J Physiol Paris
ISSN: 0928-4257
eISSN: 1769-7115
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Grant note: name: US National Science Foundation, award: 194344, 1121147; DOI: 10.13039/100000002, name: US National Institutes of Health, award: AG030004; DOI: 10.13039/100000002, name: US National Institutes of Health, award: NS078100
Language: English
Date published: 02/2015
Academic Unit: Neurology; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984020882302771

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