Infralimbic cortex is required for learning alternatives to prelimbic promoted associations through reciprocal connectivity.

ABSTRACT: Prefrontal cortical areas mediate flexible adaptive control of behavior, but the specific contributions of individual areas and the circuit mechanisms through which they interact to modulate learning have remained poorly understood. Using viral tracing and pharmacogenetic techniques, we show that prelimbic (PreL) and infralimbic cortex (IL) exhibit reciprocal PreL↔IL layer 5/6 connectivity. In set-shifting tasks and in fear/extinction learning, activity in PreL is required during new learning to apply previously learned associations, whereas activity in IL is required to learn associations alternative to previous ones. IL→PreL connectivity is specifically required during IL-dependent learning, whereas reciprocal PreL↔IL connectivity is required during a time window of 12-14 h after associa

SUBMITTER: Mukherjee A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6045592 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature