|
The representation of multiple task features in human frontal cortex| old_uid | 15151 |
|---|
| title | The representation of multiple task features in human frontal cortex |
|---|
| start_date | 2015/02/24 |
|---|
| schedule | 13h |
|---|
| online | no |
|---|
| summary | Humans are able to flexibly devise and implement rules to reach their desired goals. In some situations, we can use simple rules, such as “if traffic light is green then cross the street.” In most cases, however, more complex rule sets are required, involving the integration of multiple layers of control. Recently, multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) applied to fMRI has opened a new window of possibilities for understanding how the human brain encodes complex rule sets. In a series of MVPA experiments we showed that the neural representation of complex rules is “compositional”, i.e. built on the neural representation of their constituent rules or features. Complex rules are thus “decomposed” in their elementary features. The constituent features are then represented in different brain structures, depending on the type of information to be stored. In particular, we found that right ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex (BA47) consistently encoded the relevant low-level (stimulus-response) rules. By contrast, pre-motor cortex encoded higher-level modifying rules, controlling the how the low-level rules should be applied. Finally, we found that left inferior frontal gyrus (BA44) is involved in the encoding of the logical relations holding between the constituents of complex rules. We argue that compositionality, “decomposition” and information-guided representation are general features of prefrontal cortex functional organization. |
|---|
| responsibles | Prado |
|---|
| |
|