Representation of Behavioral Tactics and Tactics-Action Transformation in the Primate Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Abstract

To expedite the selection of action under a structured behavioral context, we develop an expedient to promote its efficiency: tactics for action selection. Setting up a behavioral condition for subhuman primates (Macaca fuscata) that induced the development of a behavioral tactics, we explored neuronal representation of tactics in the medial frontal cortex. Here we show that neurons in the posterior medial prefrontal cortex, but not much in the medial premotor cortex, exhibit activity representing the behavioral tactics, in advance of actionselective activity. Such activity appeared during behavioral epochs of its retrieval from instruction cues, maintenance in short-term memory, and its implementation for the achievement of action selection. At a population level, posterior medial prefrontal cortex neurons take part in transforming the tactics information into the information representing action selection. The tactics representation revealed an aspect of neural mechanisms for an adaptive behavioral control, taking place in the medial prefrontal cortex.

Computational Architecture of the Parieto-Frontal Network Underlying Cognitive-Motor Control in Monkeys

“…Neurophysiological data have shown that area 9 is involved in the selection of abstract response strategies for cognitive problems ( Genovesio et al, 2005 ), as well as in the representation and memory of previous and future goals ( Genovesio et al, 2006 ), functions shared with area 46d. Area 9 is also involved in the selection of response tactics ( Matsuzaka et al, 2012 ) and the transformation of tactics into action ( Matsuzaka et al, 2016 ). Based on intracortical microstimulation data, it has been recently proposed that lateral area 9 and the adjacent part of dorsal area 46 (46dr) could be involved in goal-directed orienting behaviors and gaze shift control ( Lanzilotto et al, 2015 ).…”

Neuronal Representations of Tactic-Based Sensorimotor Transformations in the Primate Medial Prefrontal, Presupplementary, and Supplementary Motor Areas: A Comparative Study

“…The neurons in the present study include those used in our previous study (Matsuzaka et al, 2016 ) and the newly added neurons afterwards. Of the neurons recorded in the two monkeys (monkey F: 53 from pmPFC, 44 from pre-SMA, and 34 from SMA; monkey H: 176 from pmPFC, 105 from pre-SMA, and 80 from SMA), 153 pmPFC neurons, 113 pre-SMA neurons, and 73 SMA neurons were selected for the present analyses.…”

“…In contrast, neurons in the supplementary motor area (SMA) and pre-SMA continued to exhibit task-related activity modulation irrespective of whether the task required the monkeys to switch response tactics or simply follow a single tactic. A subsequent study showed that the pmPFC consists of separate neuronal populations that contributed to the inference of tactics from sensory cues, their retention in working memory, and their use to determine an action (Matsuzaka et al, 2016 ). Moreover, many of these neurons represent multiple types of information during the response period.…”

“…The former study (Matsuzaka et al, 2012 ) also showed that a considerable proportion of pre-SMA neurons represented the selected tactics, but it did not address the question whether these neurons played different roles from their counterparts in the pmPFC. The latter study (Matsuzaka et al, 2016 ) temporally separated the selection of tactics and action to clarify how the pmPFC contributes to the selection of tactics, their retention in working memory, and their use to determine an action. However, it did not compare the pre-SMA with either the pmPFC or the SMA under the same condition.…”

Processes of believing: Where do they come from? What are they good for?

“…In addition, these circuits included the supplementary motor area (SMA) in the dorsal portion of the medial frontal cortex that provides the link to proactive movement control by adjusting the level of motor readiness affording response inhibition ( Chen et al , 2010; Meder et al , 2016) as well as free choice movement coding and behavioral tactics ( Matsuzaka et al , 2016; Passingham et al , 2010). Meta-analytic studies of functional neuroimaging data have revealed that different nodes in the medial frontal cortex, including the SMA and pre-SMA, are involved in the proactive and inhibitory control of actions ( Seitz et al , 2006; van Overwalle, 2009).…”