COGNITIVE DEMAND AND THE ACTIVITY OF PREFRONTAL CORTICAL NEURONS

本研究的目的是描述认知和行为 在这种情况下，背外侧前额叶皮层的神经元 （DLPFC）的恒河猴是活跃的。一般假设， 下丘脑前额叶皮层的神经元在某些情况下是活跃的， 这种行为必须通过刻意保持 内部状态，而不是外部刺激或自动过程。 在四个实验中，DLPFC中单个神经元的活动将被 在猴子执行任务时， 是被系统地操纵的。操纵任务 参数将包括：在工作中持有的项目的数量和性质 记忆（实验1）;刺激反应的程度 联想已经自动化（实验2）; 正确的反应与天生的优势反应倾向相反 （实验3）;以及正确反应被反对的程度 在其他任务情境中习得的优势反应倾向（实验 4）。一般来说，这些实验的结果将有助于 描述DLPFC的认知功能，从而提供 前额叶依赖性认知功能的评估和理解框架 在正常人和精神分裂症患者中的功能。在特定的层面上， 他们将提供深入了解神经事件的本质， 在人类受试者中通过功能成像检测的质量信号将提供 深入了解大规模信号背后的神经事件的本质 通过人类前额叶皮层的功能成像检测（Project-Cohen）; 他们将开启在灵长类动物中测试 目前正在开发的药物和病变干预的DLPFC， 大鼠研究（Projects-Zigmond和-Grace）。

The purpose of this project is characterize the cognitive and behavioral circumstances under which neurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of the rhesus macaque monkey are active. The general hypothesis to be tested is that neurons of the DLPFC are active under circumstances which behavior must be controlled through the deliberate maintenance of internal states rather than by external stimuli or automatic processes. In four experiments, the activity of single neurons in the DLPFC will be monitored while monkeys perform tasks in which the level of demand placed on endogenous control is systematically manipulated. Manipulated task parameters will include: the number and nature of items held in work memory (experiment 1); the degree to which the stimulus-response associations have become automatized (experiment 2); the degree to which correct responses are opposed by innately prepotent response tendencies (experiment 3); and the degree to which correct responses are opposed by prepotent response tendencies learned in other task contexts (experiment 4). At a general level, the results of these experiments will help to characterize the cognitive functions of DLPFC and will thereby provide a framework for assessing and understanding prefrontal-dependent cognitive functions in normal and schizophrenic human subjects. At a specific level, they will provide insight into the nature of neural events underlying the mass signals detected by functional imaging in human subject will provide insight into the nature of neural events underlying the mass signals detected by functional imaging in human prefrontal cortex (Project-Cohen); and they will open up the possibility of testing in primates the impact of DLPFC of pharmacological and lesion interventions now being developed in rat studies (Projects-Zigmond and -Grace).