Processing and Integration of Contextual Information in Monkey Ventrolateral Prefrontal Neurons During Selection and Execution of Goal-Directed Manipulative Actions

Overview

Journal J Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2015 Aug 28

PMID 26311770

Citations 19

Authors

Stefania Bruni

Valentina Giorgetti

Luca Bonini

Leonardo Fogassi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Significance Statement: We demonstrated that macaque ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) neurons show remarkable selectivity for different aspects of the contextual information allowing the monkey to select and execute goal-directed manipulative actions. Interestingly, a set of these neurons provide multimodal representations of the intended goal of a forthcoming action, encoding a behavioral decision (e.g., grasp-to-eat) independently from the sensory information allowing the monkey to make it. Our findings expand the available knowledge on prefrontal functions by showing that VLPFC neurons play a role in the selection and execution of goal-directed manipulative actions resembling those of common primates' foraging behaviors. On these bases, we propose that VLPFC may host an abstract "vocabulary" of the intended goals pursued by primates in their natural environment.

Citing Articles

The Relationship Among Range Adaptation, Social Anhedonia, and Social Functioning: A Combined Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Resting-State fMRI Study.

Wang L, Li G, Yan C, Wang Y, Gao Y, Wang Y Schizophr Bull. 2025; 51(Supplement_2):S160-S172.

PMID: 40037829 PMC: 11879587. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad116.

Spatiotemporal integration of contextual and sensory information within the cortical hierarchy in human pain experience.

Gim S, Hong S, Reynolds Losin E, Woo C PLoS Biol. 2024; 22(11):e3002910.

PMID: 39536050 PMC: 11602096. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002910.

Parietal maps of visual signals for bodily action planning.

Orban G, Sepe A, Bonini L Brain Struct Funct. 2021; 226(9):2967-2988.

PMID: 34508272 PMC: 8541987. DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02378-6.

Largely shared neural codes for biological and nonbiological observed movements but not for executed actions in monkey premotor areas.

Albertini D, Lanzilotto M, Maranesi M, Bonini L J Neurophysiol. 2021; 126(3):906-912.

PMID: 34379489 PMC: 8846967. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00296.2021.

Local and system mechanisms for action execution and observation in parietal and premotor cortices.

Ferroni C, Albertini D, Lanzilotto M, Livi A, Maranesi M, Bonini L Curr Biol. 2021; 31(13):2819-2830.e4.

PMID: 33984266 PMC: 8279740. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.034.

References

Fuster J, Bodner M, Kroger J . Cross-modal and cross-temporal association in neurons of frontal cortex. Nature. 2000; 405(6784):347-51. DOI: 10.1038/35012613. View

Wise S, Murray E . Arbitrary associations between antecedents and actions. Trends Neurosci. 2000; 23(6):271-6. DOI: 10.1016/s0166-2236(00)01570-8. View

Hoshi E, Tanji J . Integration of target and body-part information in the premotor cortex when planning action. Nature. 2000; 408(6811):466-70. DOI: 10.1038/35044075. View

Freedman D, Riesenhuber M, Poggio T, Miller E . Categorical representation of visual stimuli in the primate prefrontal cortex. Science. 2001; 291(5502):312-6. DOI: 10.1126/science.291.5502.312. View

Wallis J, Anderson K, Miller E . Single neurons in prefrontal cortex encode abstract rules. Nature. 2001; 411(6840):953-6. DOI: 10.1038/35082081. View

Yokochi H, Tanaka M, Kumashiro M, Iriki A . Inferior parietal somatosensory neurons coding face-hand coordination in Japanese macaques. Somatosens Mot Res. 2003; 20(2):115-25. DOI: 10.1080/0899022031000105145. View

Saito N, Mushiake H, Sakamoto K, Itoyama Y, Tanji J . Representation of immediate and final behavioral goals in the monkey prefrontal cortex during an instructed delay period. Cereb Cortex. 2005; 15(10):1535-46. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhi032. View

Cisek P, Kalaska J . Neural correlates of reaching decisions in dorsal premotor cortex: specification of multiple direction choices and final selection of action. Neuron. 2005; 45(5):801-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2005.01.027. View

Fogassi L, Ferrari P, Gesierich B, Rozzi S, Chersi F, Rizzolatti G . Parietal lobe: from action organization to intention understanding. Science. 2005; 308(5722):662-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1106138. View

10.

Tanila H, Carlson S, Linnankoski I, Lindroos F, Kahila H . Functional properties of dorsolateral prefrontal cortical neurons in awake monkey. Behav Brain Res. 1992; 47(2):169-80. DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(05)80123-8. View

11.

Raos V, Umilta M, Murata A, Fogassi L, Gallese V . Functional properties of grasping-related neurons in the ventral premotor area F5 of the macaque monkey. J Neurophysiol. 2005; 95(2):709-29. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00463.2005. View

12.

Mushiake H, Saito N, Sakamoto K, Itoyama Y, Tanji J . Activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex reflects multiple steps of future events in action plans. Neuron. 2006; 50(4):631-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.03.045. View

13.

Shima K, Isoda M, Mushiake H, Tanji J . Categorization of behavioural sequences in the prefrontal cortex. Nature. 2006; 445(7125):315-8. DOI: 10.1038/nature05470. View

14.

Koechlin E, Summerfield C . An information theoretical approach to prefrontal executive function. Trends Cogn Sci. 2007; 11(6):229-35. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2007.04.005. View

15.

Tanji J, Hoshi E . Role of the lateral prefrontal cortex in executive behavioral control. Physiol Rev. 2008; 88(1):37-57. DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00014.2007. View

16.

Sigala N, Kusunoki M, Nimmo-Smith I, Gaffan D, Duncan J . Hierarchical coding for sequential task events in the monkey prefrontal cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008; 105(33):11969-74. PMC: 2504480. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0802569105. View

17.

Rozzi S, Ferrari P, Bonini L, Rizzolatti G, Fogassi L . Functional organization of inferior parietal lobule convexity in the macaque monkey: electrophysiological characterization of motor, sensory and mirror responses and their correlation with cytoarchitectonic areas. Eur J Neurosci. 2008; 28(8):1569-88. DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2008.06395.x. View

18.

Wise S . Forward frontal fields: phylogeny and fundamental function. Trends Neurosci. 2008; 31(12):599-608. PMC: 2587508. DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2008.08.008. View

19.

Kusunoki M, Sigala N, Nili H, Gaffan D, Duncan J . Target detection by opponent coding in monkey prefrontal cortex. J Cogn Neurosci. 2009; 22(4):751-60. DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2009.21216. View

20.

Bonini L, Rozzi S, Serventi F, Simone L, Ferrari P, Fogassi L . Ventral premotor and inferior parietal cortices make distinct contribution to action organization and intention understanding. Cereb Cortex. 2009; 20(6):1372-85. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhp200. View