Dorsal premotor cortex: neural correlates of reach target decisions based on a color-location matching rule and conflicting sensory evidence

Abstract

We recorded single-neuron activity in dorsal premotor (PMd) and primary motor cortex (M1) of two monkeys in a reach-target selection task. The monkeys chose between two color-coded potential targets by determining which target's color matched the predominant color of a multicolored checkerboard-like Decision Cue (DC). Different DCs contained differing numbers of colored squares matching each target. The DCs provided evidence about the correct target ranging from unambiguous (one color only) to very ambiguous and conflicting (nearly equal number of squares of each color). Differences in choice behavior (reach response times and success rates as a function of DC ambiguity) of the monkeys suggested that each applied a different strategy for using the target-choice evidence in the DCs. Nevertheless, the appearance of the DCs evoked a transient coactivation of PMd neurons preferring both potential targets in both monkeys. Reach response time depended both on how long it took activity to increase in neurons that preferred the chosen target and on how long it took to suppress the activity of neurons that preferred the rejected target, in both correct-choice and error-choice trials. These results indicate that PMd neurons in this task are not activated exclusively by a signal proportional to the net color bias of the DCs. They are instead initially modulated by the conflicting evidence supporting both response choices; final target selection may result from a competition between representations of the alternative choices. The results also indicate a temporal overlap between action selection and action initiation processes in PMd and M1.

Evolution of posterior parietal cortex and parietal‐frontal networks for specific actions in primates

“…Domains in M1 receive inputs from cingulate motor cortex, SMA, PMC, and PPCr, cerebellar inputs relayed via the motor thalamus and sensory inputs, especially proprioceptive inputs from area 3a, adding further levels of competition to the selection process. The PMC and M1 domains are involved in second and third levels of selection (Coallier et al, 2015), based on the different sources of information, as well as being involved in initiating and guiding the sequences of movements for each type of behavior. Ultimately, M1 domains have the most relevant information, and are the most critical in the selection process.…”

Prioritized neural processing of social threats during perceptual decision-making

“…Indeed, although previous decision-making experiments that used visual stimuli revealed an encoding of the stimulus sensory properties (i.e. face vs. house) in the occipital and parietal cortices, around 150ms post-stimulus (Delis et al, 2016; Tu et al, 2017), most of them failed to find sensory-related activity in the premotor cortex (Boussaoud & Wise, 1993; Coallier, Michelet, & Kalaska, 2015; di Pellegrino & Wise, 1991; Nakayama, Yamagata, Tanji, & Hoshi, 2008; Wang et al, 2019). Rather, they showed that the premotor plays a key role in the conversion of sensory information into a choice-related signal (Cisek & Kalaska, 2002; Donner et al, 2009; Wang et al, 2019).…”

Visual salience of the stop-signal affects neural dynamics of controlled inhibition

“…In the last years different groups have addressed the role of PMd in somatomotor decision by employing tasks in which the sensorial instruction required some form of discrimination (establishing which amount of two colours was more present 33,35 ) or could continuously change 13 .…”

“…Neural activity of this area represents various properties of the impending movement, including its direction, distance, trajectory, timing and speed 19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31 , it signals the direction of potential and final reach choices 14 as well the selection of specific rules 32 . Furthermore it reflects conflicts related to the dynamic competition between contemporary alternative movement choices 33,34 , and express a decision process related to the selection of actions based on sensory cues 35 or dynamic sensory signals 34 as well change of mind 36 . Of relevance, PMd contains neural activity that modulates according to movement inhibition 37,38 .…”