Distinct Lateral Prefrontal Regions Are Organized in an Anterior-Posterior Functional Gradient
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Author(s)
Pin, Kwang
Tan
Tang, Cheng
Herikstad, Roger
Pillay, Arunika
Libedinsky, Camilo
Date Issued
August 22, 2023
Journal
Journal of Neuroscience
Publisher
Society for Neuroscience
Citation
Pin Kwang Tan, Cheng Tang, Roger Herikstad, Arunika Pillay, Camilo Libedinsky, Journal of Neuroscience 20 September 2023, 43 (38) 6564-6572.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is composed of multiple anatomically defined regions involved in higher-order cognitive processes, including working memory and selective attention. It is organized in an anterior-posterior global gradient where posterior regions track changes in the environment, whereas anterior regions support abstract neural representations. However, it remains unknown if such a global gradient results from a smooth gradient that spans regions or an emergent property arising from functionally distinct regions, that is, an areal gradient. Here, we recorded single neurons in the dlPFC of nonhuman primates trained to perform a memory-guided saccade task with an interfering distractor and analyzed their physiological properties along the anterior-posterior axis. We found that these physiological properties were best described by an areal gradient. Further, population analyses revealed that there is a distributed representation of spatial information across the dlPFC. Our results validate the functional boundaries between anatomically defined dlPFC regions and highlight the distributed nature of computations underlying working memory across the dlPFC.
Subjects
anterior-posterior
dlPFC
gradient
parcellation
prefrontal
working memory Significance Statement
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0007-23.2023
