Top-down control and goal-directed behavior: on the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in positive and negative valence paradigms

Abstract

Despite being a very common term in Neuroscience research, a lot of ambiguity persists in the literature regarding the precise definition of top-down control. In this review, we propose a more rigorous model of ‘top-down control’ as the integration of information contingent upon the maturation of neuronal ensembles. This model is explored in negative and positive valence studies that have investigated the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), an important heteromodal association cortex that is related to goal-directed behavior. In face of the new definition, we conclude that the maturation of neuronal ensemble in the mPFC is necessary for goal-directed behavior. We posit that a focus on the mechanisms of ensemble maturation could become a unifying facet of future research around the mPFC, allowing different lines of neuroscientific investigation to contribute to one another.