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Neuronal responses support a role for orbitofrontal cortex in cognitive set reconfiguration
Author(s) -
Sleezer Brianna J.,
LoConte Giuliana A.,
Castagno Meghan D.,
Hayden Benjamin Y.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.13532
Subject(s) - orbitofrontal cortex , neuroscience , prefrontal cortex , control reconfiguration , cognition , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , striatum , perception , set (abstract data type) , cognitive psychology , computer science , dopamine , programming language , embedded system
We are often faced with the need to abandon no‐longer beneficial rules and adopt new ones. This process, known as cognitive set reconfiguration, is a hallmark of executive control. Although cognitive functions like reconfiguration are most often associated with dorsal prefrontal structures, recent evidence suggests that the orbitofrontal cortex ( OFC ) may play an important role as well. We recorded the activity of OFC neurons while rhesus macaques performed an analogue of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task that involved a trial and error stage. The OFC neurons demonstrated two types of switch‐related activity, an early (switch‐away) signal and a late (switch‐to) signal, when the new task set was established. We also found a pattern of match modulation : a significant change in activity for the stimulus that matched the current perceptual rule (and would therefore be selected). These results extend our understanding of the executive functions of the OFC . They also allow us to directly compare the OFC with the complementary datasets we previously collected in the ventral ( VS ) and dorsal ( DS ) striatum. Although both effects are observed in all three areas, the timing of responses aligns the OFC more closely with DS than with VS .