Event Abstract Back to Event Prefrontal cortex networks form stable representations of mental set: A novel theory of prefrontal function Emili Balaguer-Ballester1, Daniel Durstewitz1, James M. Hyman2*, Christopher C. Lapish2, Liya Ma2 and Jeremy K. Seamans2 1 University of Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health and Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, Germany 2 University of British Columbia, Brain Research Institute, Canada We recorded PFC networks in behaving animals, revealing robust changes that occur in the activity and organization of PFC networks in response to different neutral contexts and stimuli. Utilizing powerful new mathematical techniques we could characterize the state of the entire network through time, and reliably observed distinct processing states when animals were in different contexts or engaged in different tasks. Across multiple subjects and sessions, movement in the space was mainly, and consistently, influenced by where the rat was and what it was doing. PFC networks therefore track multiple aspects of the rat’s experience, taking into account immediate sensory stimuli, actions and time. The global representation of these factors forms a coherent portrayal of the working environmental, behavioral and temporal experience (mental set), that when considered as a singular output reveal a pattern amongst the disparate lesion effects. Without the ability to constantly represent the current contextual, behavioral and temporal situation animals can not adjust to altered task rules (set-shifting), differentiate trial specific stimulus information over successive trials (working memory), decide between multiple outcomes suggested by novel combinations of learned cues (conflict) or withhold prepotent behaviors according to task demands (response inhibition). Conference: The 20th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference, The frontal lobes, Toronto, Canada, 22 Mar - 26 Mar, 2010. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Abstracts Citation: Balaguer-Ballester E, Durstewitz D, Hyman JM, Lapish CC, Ma L and Seamans JK (2010). Prefrontal cortex networks form stable representations of mental set: A novel theory of prefrontal function. Conference Abstract: The 20th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference, The frontal lobes. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2010.14.00079 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 29 Jun 2010; Published Online: 29 Jun 2010. * Correspondence: James M Hyman, University of British Columbia, Brain Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada, Hyman.jm@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Emili Balaguer-Ballester Daniel Durstewitz James M Hyman Christopher C Lapish Liya Ma Jeremy K Seamans Google Emili Balaguer-Ballester Daniel Durstewitz James M Hyman Christopher C Lapish Liya Ma Jeremy K Seamans Google Scholar Emili Balaguer-Ballester Daniel Durstewitz James M Hyman Christopher C Lapish Liya Ma Jeremy K Seamans PubMed Emili Balaguer-Ballester Daniel Durstewitz James M Hyman Christopher C Lapish Liya Ma Jeremy K Seamans Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.