149 Human Subthalamic Nucleus Neurons Exhibit Increased Theta-band Phase-locking During High-conflict Decision Making

Neurosurgery ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (CN_suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 236-236
Author(s):  
Sheng-Tzung Tsai ◽  
Todd M Herrington ◽  
Shaun Patel ◽  
Kristen Kanoff ◽  
Alik S Widge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Single Neurons ◽  
Theta Band ◽  
Decision Conflict ◽  
High Conflict ◽  
Theta Frequency ◽  
Increased Activity

Abstract INTRODUCTION The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is thought to be preferentially engaged during high-conflict decision making in humans. The population neuronal spike rate in the STN has been reported to increase during decision conflict. Conflict and feedback-related activity is also reflected in theta-band (4-8 Hz) oscillations in the STN. It remains unknown how single-neuron activity and theta-band local field potentials (LFP) oscillations interact to support decision making. METHODS We simultaneously recorded single-neuron spike activity and LFP from the STN of eight Parkinson's disease (PD) patients while they performed a novel Aversion-Reward conflict (ARC) task. Subjects decide whether to accept an offer of a monetary reward paired with a variable risk of an aversive air puff to the eye. By varying the reward and risk, we are able to study approach-avoidance decision making across a range of conflict. Using this task, we examined the mechanism of how theta-frequency oscillation and entrained single neurons involve humans' integration of cost and benefit and decision at various conflict statuses. RESULTS >The ARC task reveals diverse risk-reward tradeoff strategies of patients. Consistent across patients, there is a positive correlation between the degree of decision conflict and reaction time (e.g., higher conflict offers require longer for subjects to decide). During high-conflict decisions, LFP in STN had increased activity of sub-theta oscillation, while increased activity of theta was found during low-conflict decisions. Single-trial STN theta-band power was correlated with degree of decision conflict. Interestingly, the decision to take or forgo the reward is predicted by theta-frequency phase-locked of STN neurons. CONCLUSION Our findings support the hypothesis that theta-band oscillations in single-neurons reflect the engagement of STN during conflict decision making. Furthermore, STN neurons with theta-band entrainment correlate with willingness to approach risk to pursue reward.

scholarly journals Representation of actions and outcomes in medial prefrontal cortex during delayed conditional decision-making: Population analyses of single neuron activity

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 239821281877386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda J. Francoeur ◽  
Robert G. Mair
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Related Activity ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Single Neuron Activity ◽  
Temporal Organisation ◽  
Matching To Position

Background: To respond adaptively in a dynamic environment, it is important for organisms to utilise information about recent events to decide between response options. Methods: To examine the role of medial prefrontal cortex in adaptive decision-making, we recorded single neuron activity in rats performing a dynamic delayed non-matching to position task. Results: We recorded activity from 1335 isolated neurons, 458 (34%) with criterion event-related activity, of which 431 (94%) exhibited 1 of 10 distinct excitatory response types: five at different times relative to delivery (or lack) of reinforcement following sample and choice responses and five correlated with movements or lever press actions that occurred multiple times in each trial. Normalised population averages revealed a precisely timed cascade of population responses representing the temporal organisation behavioural events that constitute delayed non-matching to position trials. Firing field analyses identified a subset of neurons with restricted spatial fields: responding to the conjunction of a behavioural event with a specific location. Anatomical analyses showed considerable overlap in the distribution of different response types in medial prefrontal cortex with a significant trend for dorsal areas to contain more neurons with action-related activity and ventral areas more responses related to action outcomes. Conclusion: These results indicate that medial prefrontal cortex contains discrete populations of neurons that represent the temporal organisation of actions and outcomes during delayed non-matching to position trials. They support the hypothesis that medial prefrontal cortex promotes flexible control of complex behaviours by action–outcome contingencies.

scholarly journals Contrasting the roles of the supplementary and frontal eye fields in ocular decision making

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (12) ◽  
pp. 2644-2655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shun-nan Yang ◽  
Stephen Heinen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Delay Period ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Frontal Eye Field ◽  
Unit Recording ◽  
Task Rule ◽  
Supplementary Eye Field ◽  
Eye Field ◽  
Single Neuron Activity

Single-unit recording in monkeys and functional imaging of the human frontal lobe indicate that the supplementary eye field (SEF) and the frontal eye field (FEF) are involved in ocular decision making. To test whether these structures have distinct roles in decision making, single-neuron activity was recorded from each structure while monkeys executed an ocular go/nogo task. The task rule is to pursue a moving target if it intersects a visible square or “go zone.” We found that most SEF neurons showed differential go/nogo activity during the delay period, before the target intersected the go zone (delay period), whereas most FEF neurons did so after target intersection, during the period in which the movement was executed (movement period). Choice probability (CP) for SEF neurons was high in the delay period but decreased in the movement period, whereas for FEF neurons it was low in the delay period and increased in the movement period. Directional selectivity of SEF neurons was low throughout the trial, whereas that of FEF neurons was highest in the delay period, decreasing later in the trial. Increasing task difficulty led to later discrimination between go and nogo in both structures and lower CP in the SEF, but it did not affect CP in the FEF. The results suggest that the SEF interprets the task rule early but is less involved in executing the motor decision than is the FEF and that these two areas collaborate dynamically to execute ocular decisions.

Nanostimulation: Manipulation of Single Neuron Activity by Juxtacellular Current Injection

2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 1696-1704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur R. Houweling ◽  
Guy Doron ◽  
Birgit C. Voigt ◽  
Lucas J. Herfst ◽  
Michael Brecht
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Single Neurons ◽  
Cell Stimulation ◽  
Pipette Tip ◽  
Sensory Responses

In the mammalian brain, many thousands of single-neuron recording studies have been performed but less than 10 single-cell stimulation studies. This paucity of single-cell stimulation data reflects a lack of easily applicable single-cell stimulation techniques. We provide a detailed description of the procedures involved in nanostimulation, a single-cell stimulation method derived from the juxtacellular labeling technique. Nanostimulation is easy to apply and can be directed to a wide variety of identifiable neurons in anesthetized and awake animals. We describe the recording approach and the parameters of the electric configuration underlying nanostimulation. We use glass pipettes with a DC resistance of 4–7 MΩ. Obtaining the juxtacellular configuration requires a close contact between pipette tip and neuron and is associated with a several-fold increase in resistance to values ≥20 MΩ. The recorded action potential (AP) amplitude grows to ≥2 mV, and neurons can be activated with currents in the nanoampere range—hence the term nanostimulation. While exact AP timing has not been achieved, AP frequency and AP number can be parametrically controlled. We demonstrate that nanostimulation can also be used to selectively inhibit sensory responses in identifiable neurons. Nanostimulation is biophysically similar to electroporation, and based on this assumption, we argue that nanostimulation operates on membranes in the micrometer area directly below the pipette tip, where membrane pores are induced by high transmembrane voltage. There is strong evidence to suggest that nanostimulation selectively activates single neurons and that the evoked effects are cell-specific. Nanostimulation therefore holds great potential for elucidating how single neurons contribute to behavior.

scholarly journals Amygdala input differentially influences prefrontal local field potential and single neuron encoding of reward-based decisions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederic M. Stoll ◽  
Clayton P. Mosher ◽  
Sarita Tamang ◽  
Elisabeth A. Murray ◽  
Peter H. Rudebeck
Keyword(s):  
Local Field ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Single Neurons ◽  
Stimulus Choice ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Amygdala Lesions ◽  
Single Neuron Activity

ABSTRACTReward-guided behaviors require functional interaction between amygdala, orbital (OFC), and medial (MFC) divisions of prefrontal cortex, but the neural mechanisms underlying these interactions are unclear. Here, we used a decoding approach to analyze local field potentials (LFPs) recorded from OFC and MFC of monkeys engaged in a stimulus-choice task, before and after excitotoxic amygdala lesions. Whereas OFC LFP responses were strongly modulated by the amount of reward associated with each stimulus, MFC responses best represented which stimulus subjects decided to choose. This was counter to what we observed in the level of single neurons where their activity was closely associated with the value of the stimuli presented on each trial. After lesions of the amygdala, stimulus-reward value and choice encoding were reduced in OFC and MFC, respectively. However, while the lesion-induced decrease in OFC LFP encoding of stimulus-reward value mirrored changes in single neuron activity, reduced choice encoding in MFC LFPs was distinct from changes in single neuron activity. Thus, LFPs and single neurons represent different information required for decision-making in OFC and MFC. At the circuit-level, amygdala input to these two areas play a distinct role in stimulus-reward encoding in OFC and choice encoding in MFC.

scholarly journals Aging and Learning-Specific Changes in Single-Neuron Activity in CA1 Hippocampus During Rabbit Trace Eyeblink Conditioning

2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 1839-1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. McEchron ◽  
Aldis P. Weible ◽  
John F. Disterhoft
Keyword(s):  
Pyramidal Cell ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Eyeblink Conditioning ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Trace Conditioning ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Single Neurons ◽  
Cell Firing ◽  
Trace Eyeblink Conditioning ◽  
Single Neuron Activity

Rabbit trace eyeblink conditioning is a hippocampus-dependent task in which the auditory conditioned stimulus (CS) is separated from the corneal airpuff unconditioned stimulus (US) by a 500-ms empty trace interval. Young rabbits are able to associate the CS and US and acquire trace eyeblink conditioned responses (CRs); however, a subset of aged rabbits show poor learning on this task. Several studies have shown that CA1-hippocampal activity is altered by aging; however, it is unknown how aging affects the interaction of CA1 single neurons within local ensembles during learning. The present study examined the extracellular activity of CA1 pyramidal neurons within local ensembles in aged (29–34 mo) and young (3–6 mo) rabbits during 10 daily sessions (80 trials/session) of trace eyeblink conditioning. A single surgically implanted nonmovable stereotrode was used to record ensembles ranging in size from 2 to 12 separated single neurons. A total of six young and four aged rabbits acquired significant levels of CRs, whereas five aged rabbits showed very few CRs similar to a group of five young pseudoconditioned rabbits. Pyramidal cells (2,159 total) were recorded from these four groups during training. Increases in CA1 pyramidal cell firing to the CS and US were diminished in the aged nonlearners. Local ensembles from all groups contained heterogeneous types of pyramidal cell responses. Some cells showed increases while others showed decreases in firing during the trace eyeblink trial. Hierarchical clustering was used to isolate seven different classes of single-neuron responses that showed unique firing patterns during the trace conditioning trial. The proportion of cells in each group was similar for six of seven response classes. Unlike the excitatory modeling patterns reported in previous studies, three of seven response types (67% of recorded cells) exhibited some type of inhibitory decrease to the CS, US, or both. The single-neuron response classes showed different patterns of learning-related activity across training. Several of the single-neuron types from the aged nonlearners showed unique alterations in response magnitude to the CS and US. Cross-correlation analyses suggest that specific single-neuron types provide more correlated single-neuron activity to the ensemble processing of information. However, aged nonlearners showed a significantly lower level of coincident pyramidal cell firing for all cell types within local ensembles in CA1.

Towards blueprints for network architecture, biophysical dynamics and signal transduction

2006 ◽  
Vol 364 (1849) ◽  
pp. 3301-3318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Coombes ◽  
Brent Doiron ◽  
Krešimir Josić ◽  
Eric Shea-Brown
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Dendritic Spines ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Applied Mathematics ◽  
Coincidence Detection ◽  
Single Neurons ◽  
Systems Neuroscience ◽  
Neuron Coding

We review mathematical aspects of biophysical dynamics , signal transduction and network architecture that have been used to uncover functionally significant relations between the dynamics of single neurons and the networks they compose. We focus on examples that combine insights from these three areas to expand our understanding of systems neuroscience. These range from single neuron coding to models of decision making and electrosensory discrimination by networks and populations and also coincidence detection in pairs of dendrites and dynamics of large networks of excitable dendritic spines. We conclude by describing some of the challenges that lie ahead as the applied mathematics community seeks to provide the tools which will ultimately underpin systems neuroscience.

Framing Morality: How Antecedent-Focused Strategies Can Shape Moral Judgments

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Kappes ◽  
Jay Joseph Van Bavel
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Moral Decision ◽  
Process Dissociation ◽  
Moral Decision Making ◽  
First Response ◽  
High Conflict

From moral philosophy to programming driverless cars, scholars have long been interested in how to shape moral decision-making. We examine how framing can impact moral judgments either by shaping which emotional reactions are evoked in a situation (antecedent-focused) or by changing how people respond to their emotional reactions (response-focused). In three experiments, we manipulated the framing of a moral decision-making task before participants judged a series of moral dilemmas. Participants encouraged to go “with their first” response beforehand favored emotion-driven judgments on high-conflict moral dilemmas. In contrast, participants who were instructed to give a “thoughtful” response beforehand or who did not receive instructions on how to approach the dilemmas favored reason-driven judgments. There was no difference in response-focused control during moral judgements. Process-dissociation confirmed that people instructed to go with their first response had stronger emotion-driven intuitions than other conditions. Our results suggest that task framing can alter moral intuitions.

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