Representation of Multiple, Independent Categories in the Primate Prefrontal Cortex
Name
Cromer Roy Miller Neuron 2010 - Final Manuscript.pdf
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821.59 KB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Cromer, Jason
Roy, Jefferson
Miller, Earl K.
Date Issued
June 2010
Journal
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
Cromer, Jason A., Jefferson E. Roy, and Earl K. Miller. “Representation of Multiple, Independent Categories in the Primate Prefrontal Cortex.” Neuron 66.5 (2010): 796–807.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Neural correlates of visual categories have been previously identified in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, whether individual neurons can represent multiple categories is unknown. Varying degrees of generalization versus specialization of neurons in the PFC have been theorized. We recorded from lateral PFC neural activity while monkeys switched between two different and independent categorical distinctions (Cats versus Dogs, Sports Cars versus Sedans). We found that many PFC neurons reflected both categorical distinctions. In fact, these multitasking neurons had the strongest category effects. This stands in contrast to our lab's recent report that monkeys switching between competing categorical distinctions (applied to the same stimulus set) showed independent representations. We suggest that cognitive demands determine whether PFC neurons function as category “multitaskers.”
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.05.005
