Abstract
Previous works have shown that neurons from the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) represent several elements of perceptual decisions. One of the most striking findings was that, after the outcome of the choice is known, neurons from PMv encode all the information necessary for evaluating the decision process. These results prompted us to suggest that this cortical area could be involved in shaping future behavior. In this work, we have characterized neuronal activity and behavioral performance as a function of the outcome of the previous trial. We found that the outcome of the immediately previous trial (n−1) significantly changes, in the current trial (n), the activity of single cells and behavioral performance. The outcome of trial n−2, however, does not affect either behavior or neuronal activity. Moreover, the outcome of difficult trials had a greater impact on performance and recruited more PMv neurons than the outcome of easy trials. These results give strong support to our suggestion that PMv neurons evaluate the decision process and use this information to modify future behavior.
Highlights
The consequences of actions are fundamental for shaping future behavior
Research using event-related potentials suggests that the error-related negativity and the error positivity (Pe)—two components originated in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)—correlate with error detection, while only Pe correlates with post-error slowing (PES) (Hajcak, McDonald & Simons, 2003)
These functions, which suggest that the subject based its choices on the difference between S2 and S1, were used to select the stimuli set for the recording phase: S2 lengths that provoked 90 and 70% correct choices, for easy and difficult conditions respectively, were independently chosen for each S1 and for “shorter than” (S2 < S1) and “longer than” (S2 > S1) conditions
Summary
The consequences of actions are fundamental for shaping future behavior. The way they are detected, represented and evaluated in the brain to guide behavior has been the focus of several research lines related to learning, in the context of value-based decisions (for reviews, see Glimcher, 2013; Schultz & Dickinson, 2000; Wallis & Rushworth, 2013). The outcomes and their influence in future behavior have received less attention (Purcell & Kiani, 2016). This may be due to the fact that, once participants are trained up to their psychophysical thresholds, there is little room for learning and performance is assumed to depend mainly on sensory factors that do not change dramatically from trial to trial (Gold & Shadlen, 2007). Image studies have provided evidence that the activation of the posterior medial frontal cortex, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, the lateral prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex correlates with post-error behavioral adjustments (Danielmeier et al, 2011; King et al, 2010; Li et al, 2008)
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