PreMotive · Beyond the blob: characterizing Prefrontal Cortex networks in prediction and motivation with simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-08-01 → 2019-02-21
- EU contribution
- €165,599
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
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Results in brief
Beyond the blob: characterizing Prefrontal Cortex networks in prediction and motivation with simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings
Life is full of surprises. It is fundamental to swiftly realize when things don’t go as planned, and come up with new plans, adapting to the unforeseen. In the human brain, these surprise signals are essential for learning, predicting future events, and select the most appropriate behaviour. Research suggests that surprise signals are continuously calculated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, the precise mechanisms supporting this calculation, and how it affects the rest of the brain, was unclear. The goal of this project was to determine how different PFC regions contribute in computing surprise, and how this changes 1) the processing of sensory information, and 2) the processing of motivational information. Specifically, I tested a neurocomputational theory of PFC function using EEG-fMRI Simultaneous recordings, a cutting-edge technique that allows measuring where and when certain brain regions are active, and hence determine how they communicate. This theory emphasizes the importance of understanding network dynamics, rather than simply testing for activity in isolated regions. The results show that surprise signals are indeed encoded by a cortico-cortical network including sensory regions, medial PFC and lateral PFC. Furthermore, I tested behavioural predictions of the same model of PFC function on how motivational information (rather than sensory information) is processed. To this end, I have shown that healthy people’s decisions change depending on whether they are informed about cost or benefits first. I replicate this observation in patients with Parkinson’s Disease, opening up potential avenues for clinical translation. Overall, the results of the project provide substantial contribution to understanding PFC function, and indicate how this knowledge may be exploited to understand altered PFC activity in pathology, and to devise interventions based on the behavioural observations and computational insights.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Neural correlates of goal-directed behavior have been extensively studied with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). This has allowed identifying the functional specialization of subregions in prefrontal cortex (PFC). In particular, medial PFC (MPFC) is involved in error monitoring, cognitive control, reward prediction and motivation, while dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) supports working memory and goal-maintenance. Though useful, such characterization has neglected one fundamental aspect: network interactions. A mechanistic understanding of how MPFC and DLPFC interact in orchestrating goal-directed behavior is still lacking. Both regions seem to be involved in both prediction and error signalling mechanism, and in motivation-driven task-preparation. To date, no theoretical account has reconciled these findings, nor explained how MPFC and DLPFC interact in producing such effects. Here we propose a novel framework, where error signals generated by MPFC train error representations in DLPFC. These representations are reactivated when the same circumstance recurs and drive proportional MPFC involvement to prevent the error from happening again (by deploying adequate neural resources). The goal of the project is to test this theory by combining the excellent spatial resolution of fMRI with the excellent temporal precision of EEG in conjunction with precise quantitative predictions based on computational models of PFC. Simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings will allow testing PFC network dynamics, both in a simple sensory prediction paradigm, and in a paradigm modulating motivation, aiming at demonstrating a shared underlying principle. This research programme will provide a neurofunctional characterization of how PFC network interactions drive goal-directed behaviour in both prediction and motivated task engagement. This work has important implications for future studies on PFC both in healthy subjects and in patients with motivation disorders.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT · NijmegenCoordinatorNetherlands
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union