Selective delay activity in the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat: contribution of sensorimotor information and contingency.

ABSTRACT: The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a critical role in the organization of goal-directed behaviors and in the learning of reinforcement contingencies. Given these observations, it was hypothesized that mPFC neurons may store associations between sequentially paired stimuli when both stimuli contribute to the prediction of reward. To test this hypothesis, neural-ensemble spiking activity was recorded as rats performed a paired-associate discrimination task. Rats were trained to associate sequentially presented stimuli with probabilistic reward. In one condition, both elements of the stimulus sequence provided information about reward delivery. In another condition, only the first stimulus contributed to the prediction. As hypothesized, stimulus-selective, prospective delay activity wa

SUBMITTER: Cowen SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6257987 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature