RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Distinct lateral prefrontal regions are organized in an anterior-posterior functional gradient
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.12.16.423034
DO 10.1101/2020.12.16.423034
A1 Tan, Pin Kwang
A1 Tang, Cheng
A1 Herikstad, Roger
A1 Pillay, Arunika
A1 Libedinsky, Camilo
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/12/16/2020.12.16.423034.abstract
AB 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, while anterior regions support abstract neural representations. However, whether the global gradient results from a smooth gradient that spans regions, or an overall trend emerging from the organized arrangement of functionally distinct regions is unknown. Here, we provide evidence to support the latter, by analyzing single-neuron activity along the DLPFC of non-human primates trained to perform a memory-guided saccade task with an interfering distractor. Additionally, we show that the posterior DLPFC plays a particularly important role in working memory, in sharp contrast with the lack of task-related responses in the anterior DLPFC. Our results validate the functional boundaries between anatomically-defined DLPFC regions and highlight the heterogeneity of functional properties across regions.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.