Single unit activity during a Go/NoGo task in the “prefrontal cortex” of pigeons

Abstract

Single unit activity was recorded during a delayed auditory/visual Go/NoGo task from the neostriatum caudolaterale (NCL) of pigeons, a multimodal associative avian forebrain structure comparable to the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The animals were trained to mandibulate (to open their beak) during the Go period after which they received a drop of water as reward. Neuronal activity changes were observed during the delay period (DELAY) between auditory and visual stimulation, to the onset of the visual stimulus or to the delivery of the reward. In some neurons, responses were related to the behavioral significance of the stimulus such that the neuronal activity was statistically different between Go and NoGo trials. Moreover, some units anticipated the upcoming reward or changed their firing frequency in a correlated manner prior to beak movements. These neuronal activity patterns suggest that the NCL provides a neural network that participates in the integration and processing of external stimuli in order to generate goal directed behavior.