Neural correlates of directed forgetting in the avian prefrontal cortex.

Milmine, Michelle; Watanabe, Atsuko; Colombo, Michael

doi:10.1037/0735-7044.122.1.199

Cited by 12 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In addition, most studies have employed working memory paradigms and reported results exclusively for that subset of neurons whose responses were modulated during delay phases [18], [46]–[48]. Our task lacks a working memory component, so our findings cannot directly be compared to those reports.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Stimulus-Response-Outcome Coding in the Pigeon Nidopallium Caudolaterale

Starosta¹,

Güntürkün²,

Stüttgen³

2013

PLoS ONE

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A prerequisite for adaptive goal-directed behavior is that animals constantly evaluate action outcomes and relate them to both their antecedent behavior and to stimuli predictive of reward or non-reward. Here, we investigate whether single neurons in the avian nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL), a multimodal associative forebrain structure and a presumed analogue of mammalian prefrontal cortex, represent information useful for goal-directed behavior. We subjected pigeons to a go-nogo task, in which responding to one visual stimulus (S+) was partially reinforced, responding to another stimulus (S–) was punished, and responding to test stimuli from the same physical dimension (spatial frequency) was inconsequential. The birds responded most intensely to S+, and their response rates decreased monotonically as stimuli became progressively dissimilar to S+; thereby, response rates provided a behavioral index of reward expectancy. We found that many NCL neurons' responses were modulated in the stimulus discrimination phase, the outcome phase, or both. A substantial fraction of neurons increased firing for cues predicting non-reward or decreased firing for cues predicting reward. Interestingly, the same neurons also responded when reward was expected but not delivered, and could thus provide a negative reward prediction error or, alternatively, signal negative value. In addition, many cells showed motor-related response modulation. In summary, NCL neurons represent information about the reward value of specific stimuli, instrumental actions as well as action outcomes, and therefore provide signals useful for adaptive behavior in dynamically changing environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Stimulus-Response-Outcome Coding in the Pigeon Nidopallium Caudolaterale

Starosta¹,

Güntürkün²,

Stüttgen³

2013

PLoS ONE

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show abstract

“…Sustained delay activity is regarded to be a neuronal correlate of working memory in the PFC 49,50 . In pigeons, sustained delay activity was observed to encode working memory or reward prediction during delayed go/nogo tasks 20 and instructed forgetting tasks 21,51,52 . These similarities are surprising, considering the 300 million years of independent evolution and strikingly different neuroarchitecture of mammalian and avian brains.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abstract rule neurons in the endbrain support intelligent behaviour in corvid songbirds

2013

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Despite the lack of a layered neocortex and fundamental differences in endbrain organization in birds compared with mammals, intelligent species evolved from both vertebrate classes. Among birds, corvids show exceptional cognitive flexibility. Here we explore the neuronal foundation of corvid cognition by recording single-unit activity from an association area known as the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) while carrion crows make flexible rule-guided decisions, a hallmark of executive control functions. The most prevalent activity in NCL represents the behavioural rules, while abstracting over sample images and sensory modalities of the rule cues. Rule coding is weaker in error trials, thus predicting the crows' behavioural decisions. This suggests that the abstraction of general principles may be an important function of the NCL, mirroring the function of primate prefrontal cortex. These findings emphasize that intelligence in vertebrates does not necessarily rely on a neocortex but can be realized in endbrain circuitries that developed independently via convergent evolution.

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“…In the same vein, Rose and Colombo [4] found 67% of neurons with sustained delay activity, the majority of which responded only for a to-be-remembered stimulus, but not after the pigeon was instructed to forget the stimulus. Several follow-up studies demonstrated that this activity was based mainly on reward prediction [29][30][31]. Similarly, if different auditory stimuli are associated with one of two response keys, it is difficult to dissociate responses representing the associations or rather preparatory left versus right motor activity [32].…”

Section: Prospective Associative Signals In Ncl Neuronsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross-Modal Associative Mnemonic Signals in Crow Endbrain Neurons

Moll

Nieder

2015

Current Biology

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The ability to associate stimuli across time and sensory modalities endows animals and humans with many of the complex, learned behaviors. For successful performance, associations need to be retrieved from long-term memory and maintained active in working memory. We investigated how this is accomplished in the avian brain. We trained carrion crows (Corvus corone) to perform a bimodal delayed paired associate task in which the crows had to match auditory stimuli to delayed visual items. Single-unit recordings from the association area nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) revealed sustained memory signals that selectively correlated with the learned audio-visual associations across time and modality, and sustained activity prospectively encoded the crows' choices. NCL neurons carried an internal, stimulus-independent signal that was predictive of error and type of error. These results underscore the role of corvid NCL in synthesizing external multisensory information and internal mnemonic data needed for executive control of behavior.

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Neural correlates of directed forgetting in the avian prefrontal cortex.

Cited by 12 publications

References 37 publications

Stimulus-Response-Outcome Coding in the Pigeon Nidopallium Caudolaterale

Stimulus-Response-Outcome Coding in the Pigeon Nidopallium Caudolaterale

Abstract rule neurons in the endbrain support intelligent behaviour in corvid songbirds

Cross-Modal Associative Mnemonic Signals in Crow Endbrain Neurons

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