scholarly journals Neural signatures of arbitration between Pavlovian and instrumental action selection

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. e1008553
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Gershman ◽  
Marc Guitart-Masip ◽  
James F. Cavanagh
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Instrumental Behavior ◽  
Theta Band ◽  
Computational Theory ◽  
Outcome Valence ◽  
Oscillatory Power ◽  
Instrumental Action ◽  
Model Based Analysis

Pavlovian associations drive approach towards reward-predictive cues, and avoidance of punishment-predictive cues. These associations “misbehave” when they conflict with correct instrumental behavior. This raises the question of how Pavlovian and instrumental influences on behavior are arbitrated. We test a computational theory according to which Pavlovian influence will be stronger when inferred controllability of outcomes is low. Using a model-based analysis of a Go/NoGo task with human subjects, we show that theta-band oscillatory power in frontal cortex tracks inferred controllability, and that these inferences predict Pavlovian action biases. Functional MRI data revealed an inferior frontal gyrus correlate of action probability and a ventromedial prefrontal correlate of outcome valence, both of which were modulated by inferred controllability.

scholarly journals Neural signatures of arbitration between Pavlovian and instrumental action selection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Gershman ◽  
Marc Guitart-Masip ◽  
James F. Cavanagh
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Instrumental Behavior ◽  
Theta Band ◽  
Computational Theory ◽  
Outcome Valence ◽  
Oscillatory Power ◽  
Instrumental Action ◽  
Model Based Analysis

AbstractPavlovian associations drive approach towards reward-predictive cues, and avoidance of punishment-predictive cues. These associations “misbehave” when they conflict with correct instrumental behavior. This raises the question of how Pavlovian and instrumental influences on behavior are arbitrated. We test a computational theory according to which Pavlovian influence will be stronger when inferred controllability of outcomes is low. Using a model-based analysis of a Go/NoGo task with human subjects, we show that theta-band oscillatory power in frontal cortex tracks inferred controllability, and that these inferences predict Pavlovian action biases. Functional MRI data revealed an inferior frontal gyrus correlate of action probability and a ventromedial prefrontal correlate of outcome valence, both of which were modulated by inferred controllability.

Specialized systems for the processing of mnemonic information within the primate frontal cortex

1996 ◽  
Vol 351 (1346) ◽  
pp. 1455-1462 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Executive Processing ◽  
Severe Impairment ◽  
Normal Human ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Cortical Association Areas

The lateral frontal cortex is involved in various aspects of executive processing within short- and long-term memory. It is argued that the different parts of the lateral frontal cortex make distinct contributions to memory that differ in terms of the level of executive processing that is carried out in interaction with posterior cortical systems. According to this hypothesis, the mid-dorsolateral frontal cortex (areas 46 and 9) is a specialized system for the monitoring and manipulation of information within working memory, whereas the mid-ventrolateral frontal cortex (areas 47/12 and 45) is involved in the active retrieval of information from the posterior cortical association areas. Data are presented which support this two-level hypothesis that posits two distinct levels of interaction of the lateral frontal cortex with posterior cortical association areas. Functional activation studies with normal human subjects have demonstrated specific activity within the mid-dorsolateral region of the frontal cortex during the performance of tasks requiring monitoring of self-generated and externally generated sequences of responses. In the monkey, lesions restricted to this region of the frontal cortex yield a severe impairment in performance of the above tasks, this impairment appearing against a background of normal performance on several basic mnemonic tasks. By contrast, a more severe impairment follows damage to the mid-ventrolateral frontal region and functional activation studies have demonstrated specific changes in activity in this region in relation to the active retrieval of information from memory.

scholarly journals Human frontoparietal cortex represents behaviorally relevant target status based on abstract object features

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 1410-1427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Henderson ◽  
John T. Serences
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Mri ◽  
Irrelevant Dimension ◽  
Target Recognition ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Object Identity ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Parking Lot ◽  
High Level

Searching for items that are useful given current goals, or “target” recognition, requires observers to flexibly attend to certain object properties at the expense of others. This could involve focusing on the identity of an object while ignoring identity-preserving transformations such as changes in viewpoint or focusing on its current viewpoint while ignoring its identity. To effectively filter out variation due to the irrelevant dimension, performing either type of task is likely to require high-level, abstract search templates. Past work has found target recognition signals in areas of ventral visual cortex and in subregions of parietal and frontal cortex. However, target status in these tasks is typically associated with the identity of an object, rather than identity-orthogonal properties such as object viewpoint. In this study, we used a task that required subjects to identify novel object stimuli as targets according to either identity or viewpoint, each of which was not predictable from low-level properties such as shape. We performed functional MRI in human subjects of both sexes and measured the strength of target-match signals in areas of visual, parietal, and frontal cortex. Our multivariate analyses suggest that the multiple-demand (MD) network, including subregions of parietal and frontal cortex, encodes information about an object’s status as a target in the relevant dimension only, across changes in the irrelevant dimension. Furthermore, there was more target-related information in MD regions on correct compared with incorrect trials, suggesting a strong link between MD target signals and behavior. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Real-world target detection tasks, such as searching for a car in a crowded parking lot, require both flexibility and abstraction. We investigated the neural basis of these abilities using a task that required invariant representations of either object identity or viewpoint. Multivariate decoding analyses of our whole brain functional MRI data reveal that invariant target representations are most pronounced in frontal and parietal regions, and the strength of these representations is associated with behavioral performance.

Theory of Visual Attention (TVA)

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Bundesen ◽  
Thomas Habekost
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Computational Theory ◽  
Healthy Human Subjects ◽  
Psychological Studies

The theory of visual attention introduced by Bundesen (1990) is reviewed. The authors first describe TVA as a formal computational theory of visual attention and summarize applications of TVA to psychological studies of performance (reaction times and error rates) in healthy human subjects. They then explain their neurophysiological interpretation of TVA, NTVA, and exemplify how NTVA accounts for findings from single-cell studies in primates. Finally the authors review how TVA has been applied to study attentional functions in neuropsychological, pharmacological, and genetic research.

Insula and Orbital Frontal Cortex Activity Underlying Emotion Interference Resolution in Working Memory

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 2790-2803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara M. Levens ◽  
Elizabeth A. Phelps
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Anterior Insula ◽  
Orbital Frontal Cortex ◽  
Emotional Information ◽  
Interference Resolution ◽  
Emotional Interference ◽  
The Right

Previous research has shown that emotional information aids conflict resolution in working memory [WM; Levens, S. M., & Phelps, E. A. Emotion processing effects on interference resolution in working memory. Journal of Emotion, 8, 267–280, 2008]. Using a recency-probes WM paradigm, it was found that positive and negative emotional stimuli reduced the amount of interference created when information that was once relevant conflicted with currently relevant information. To explore the neural mechanisms behind these facilitation effects, an event-related fMRI version of the recency-probes task was conducted using neutral and arousing positive and negative words as stimuli. Results replicate previous findings showing that the left and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is involved in the interference resolution of neutral information and reveal that the IFG is involved in the interference resolution of emotional information as well. In addition, ROIs in the right and left anterior insula and in the right orbital frontal cortex (OFC) were identified that appear to underlie emotional interference resolution in WM. We conclude that the IFG underlies neutral and emotional interference resolution, and that additional regions of the anterior insula and OFC may contribute to the facilitation of interference resolution for emotional information. These findings clarify the role of the insula and OFC in affective and executive processing, specifically in WM conflict resolution.

scholarly journals Cortical Hemodynamic Mechanisms of Reversal learning using High-Resolution Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
charlotte piau ◽  
Mahdi Mahmoudzadeh ◽  
Astrid Kibleur ◽  
Mircea Polosan ◽  
Olivier David ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Reversal Learning ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Behavioral Flexibility ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Behavioral Abnormalities ◽  
Reward And Punishment

Abstract Background: Reversal learning is widely used to analyze cognitive flexibility and characterize behavioral abnormalities associated with impulsivity and disinhibition. Recent studies using fMRI have focused on regions involved in reversal learning with negative and positive reinforcers. Although the frontal cortex has been consistently implicated in reversal learning, few studies have focused on whether reward and punishment may have different effects on lateral frontal structures in these tasks. Here, in eight healthy subjects, we used functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) to characterize brain activity dynamics and differentiate the involvement of frontal structures in learning driven by reward and punishment. Results: We observed functional hemispheric asymmetries between punishment and reward processing by fNIRS following reversal of a learned rule. Moreover, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were activated under the reward condition only, whereas the orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) was significantly activated under the punishment condition, with a tendency towards activation for the right cortical hemisphere (r-DLPFC and r-IFG). Our results are compatible with the suggestion that the DLPFC is involved in the detection of contingency change. We propose a new representation for reward and punishment, with left lateralization for the reward process. Conclusions: These results provide insights into the indirect neural mechanisms of reversal learning and behavioral flexibility and confirm the use of fNIRS imaging in reversal-learning tasks as a translational strategy, particularly in subjects who cannot undergo fMRI recordings.

scholarly journals Neural tracking of speech mental imagery during rhythmic inner counting

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingxi Lu ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Jingwei Sheng ◽  
Zhaowei Liu ◽  
Lang Qin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Auditory Perception ◽  
Processing Time ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Processing ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Rate Frequency

The subjective inner experience of mental imagery is among the most ubiquitous human experiences in daily life. Elucidating the neural implementation underpinning the dynamic construction of mental imagery is critical to understanding high-order cognitive function in the human brain. Here, we applied a frequency-tagging method to isolate the top-down process of speech mental imagery from bottom-up sensory-driven activities and concurrently tracked the neural processing time scales corresponding to the two processes in human subjects. Notably, by estimating the source of the magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals, we identified isolated brain networks activated at the imagery-rate frequency. In contrast, more extensive brain regions in the auditory temporal cortex were activated at the stimulus-rate frequency. Furthermore, intracranial stereotactic electroencephalogram (sEEG) evidence confirmed the participation of the inferior frontal gyrus in generating speech mental imagery. Our results indicate that a disassociated neural network underlies the dynamic construction of speech mental imagery independent of auditory perception.

Indolic Substances in Plasma, Cerebrospinal Fluid, and Frontal Cortex of Human Subjects Infused with Saline or Tryptophan

1981 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Gillman ◽  
J. R. Bartlett ◽  
P. K. Bridges ◽  
A. Hunt ◽  
A. J. Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Human Subjects
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