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Neural correlates of a decision in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the macaque

Nature Neuroscience volume 2, pages 176–185 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

To make a visual discrimination, the brain must extract relevant information from the retina, represent appropriate variables in the visual cortex and read out this representation to decide which of two or more alternatives is more likely. We recorded from neurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (areas 8 and 46) of the rhesus monkey while it performed a motion discrimination task. The monkey indicated its judgment of direction by making appropriate eye movements. As the monkey viewed the motion stimulus, the neural response predicted the monkey's subsequent gaze shift, hence its judgment of direction. The response comprised a mixture of high–level oculomotor signals and weaker visual sensory signals that reflected the strength and direction of motion. This combination of sensory integration and motor planning could reflect the conversion of visual motion information into a categorical decision about direction and thus give insight into the neural computations behind a simple cognitive act.

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Figure 1: Behavioral tasks and neuron locations.
Figure 2: Response of a principalis neuron during the motion–discrimination and memory–saccade tasks.
Figure 3: Response of a frontal eye field neuron during the motion–discrimination and memory–saccade tasks.
Figure 4: Predictive activity for 88 neurons during motion viewing and the delay.
Figure 5: Effect of motion strength on the magnitude and time of the prefrontal response.
Figure 6: Response to random dot motion during passive viewing.
Figure 7: Comparison of the responses on error and correct trials.
Figure 8: Theoretical basis for variation in the strength of evidence associated with direction judgments.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Melissa Mihali for animal training and technical support. We also thank Joshua Gold, Greg Horwitz, Mark Mazurek, Bill Newsome, Jeff Schall and Kirk Thompson for helpful suggestions on the manuscript. This research was supported by RR00166, EY11378 and the McKnight Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Regional Primate Research Center, University of Washington Medical School, Box 357290, Seattle, 98195–7290 , Washington, USA

    Jong-Nam Kim & Michael N. Shadlen

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  2. Michael N. Shadlen
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Correspondence to Michael N. Shadlen.

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Kim, JN., Shadlen, M. Neural correlates of a decision in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the macaque. Nat Neurosci 2, 176–185 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/5739

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