Neural representation of action symbols in primate frontal cortex.

ABSTRACT: At the core of intelligence lies proficiency in solving new problems, including those that differ dramatically from problems seen before. Problem-solving, in turn, depends on goal-directed generation of novel thoughts and behaviors¹, which has been proposed to rely on internal representations of discrete units, or symbols, and processes that can recombine them into a large set of possible composite representations^1-11. Although this view has been influential in formulating cognitive-level explanations of behavior, definitive evidence for a neuronal substrate of symbols has remained elusive. Here, we identify a neural population encoding action symbols-internal, recombinable representations of discrete units of motor behavior-localized to a specific area of frontal cor

SUBMITTER: Tian LY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11908170 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature