The study team examined the prime part of the brain responsible for this executive function – the dorsolateral part of the prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in the monkey.
‘Novel technique that helps in decoding the neural mechanisms behind executive functions of the primate brain has been successful. This would lay the foundation for further explorations of the networks to apply clinical significance in various disorders.’
Neural Mechanism
“The primate prefrontal cortex (PFC), especially its dorsolateral part (dlPFC), is well known to serve as the center of higher-order executive functions; it is uniquely developed in primates and underlies their distinctive cognitive abilities. These functions, however, do not solely rely on dlPFC neurons but also on their cooperative interactions with subcortical structures, including the dorsal caudate (dCD) nucleus and lateral mediodorsal thalamus (MDl),” says Dr. Kei Oyama, the first author of the study.
By utilizing the chemogenetic silencing method, the study team found that both working memory and decision-making are controlled by different neural pathways linking specific brain areas.
Bilateral dlPFC-MDl projections are associated with working memory related to their surroundings. On the contrary unilateral dlPFC-dCD projections are responsible for altering decision-making. Thus study lays the foundation for further explorations of the networks to apply clinical significance.
“Many psychiatric disorders, including depression, are thought to be associated with disturbances in the transmission of neural information through neural circuits between specific brain regions. Our findings are expected to deepen our understanding of mental disorders and lead to the discovery of treatments and remedies. The successful development of a novel technique in our study will serve as a key technology for the next-generation of researchers to investigate primate brain functions, which will contribute to broad areas in life by dramatically deepening our understanding of the mechanism of higher-brain functions,” says Oyama.
Source: Medindia
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