Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex resolves response conflict in rats.

Full Abstract

The capacity for goal-directed behavior requires not only the encoding of the response-outcome relationship but also the ability to resolve conflict induced by competing responses. Recent neuroimaging studies have identified the prefrontal cortex as critical for resolving conflict between competing responses. At present, however, much of this evidence is indirect, and the necessity of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) function for the resolution of conflict in goal-directed behavior has not been assessed. Here, we develop a rodent paradigm to investigate response conflict caused by the concurrent activation of a correct and incorrect response. In this paradigm, the outcome of one response also acts as a discriminative stimulus signaling that the other response is correct. Whereas rats with a functional dmPFC are able to resolve this conflict, inactivation of dmPFC using an infusion of muscimol produced a deficit by selectively interfering with their ability to inhibit the incorrect, competing response.

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Author information

Author/s: de Wit, Sanne (S); Kosaki, Yutaka (Y); Balleine, Bernard Walter (BW); Dickinson, Anthony (A);

Affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom. sd322(-atsign-)cam.ac.uk

Grants: MH56446 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; (Agency:Wellcome Trust)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-May; vol 26 (issue 19) : pp 5224-9

Dates: Created 2006/05/11; Completed 2006/05/31; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 16687514, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Animals
Conditioning, Operant - physiology
Conflict (Psychology)
Decision Making - physiology
Discrimination Learning - physiology
Goals

Goals
Male
Prefrontal Cortex - physiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Rats
Rats, Wistar

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