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| Research article summary (published Jun 2009): |
Rat prefrontal cortical neurons selectively code strategy switches.
Full Abstract
Multiple memory systems are distinguished by different sets of neuronal circuits and operating principles optimized to solve different problems across mammalian species (Tulving and Schacter, 1994). When a rat selects an arm in a plus maze, for example, the choice can be guided by distinct neural systems (White and Wise, 1999) that encode different relationships among perceived stimuli, actions, and reward. Thus, egocentric or stimulus-response associations require striatal circuits, whereas spatial or episodic learning requires hippocampal circuits (Packard et al., 1989). Although these memory systems function in parallel (Packard and McGaugh, 1996), they can also interact competitively or synergistically (Kim and Ragozzino, 2005). The neuronal mechanisms that coordinate these multiple memory systems are not fully known, but converging evidence suggests that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is central. The PFC is crucial for abstract, rule-guided behavior in primates and for switching rapidly between memory strategies in rats. We now report that rat medial PFC neuronal activity predicts switching between hippocampus- and caudate-dependent memory strategies. Prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) neuronal activity changed as rats switched memory strategies even as the rats performed identical behaviors but did not change when rats learned new contingencies using the same strategy. PL dynamics anticipated learning performance whereas IL lagged, suggesting that the two regions help initiate and establish new strategies, respectively. These neuronal dynamics suggest that the PFC contributes to the coordination of memory strategies by integrating the predictive relationships among stimuli, actions, and reward.
Author information
Author/s: Rich, Erin L (EL); Shapiro, Matthew (M);
Affiliation: Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA.
Grants: MH065658 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; MH073689 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)
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: 2009-Jun; vol 29 (issue 22) : pp 7208-19
Dates: Created 2009/06/04; Completed 2009/06/22;
PMID: 19494143, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 6/22/2009, IMS Date: 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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