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Anterior cingulate activity during routine and non-routine sequential behaviors in macaques

Nature Neuroscience volume 3, pages 502–508 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Anterior cingulate cortex is important in monitoring action for new challenges. We recorded neuron activity in the anterior cingulate sulcus of macaques while they performed a sequential problem-solving task. By trial and error, animals determined the correct sequence for touching three fixed spatial targets. After the sequence was repeated three times, we then changed the correct solution order, requiring a new search. Irrespective of component movements or their kinematics, task-related neurons encoded the serial order of the sequence. Neurons activated with sequence components (68%) differed in activity between search and repetition. Search-related activity occurred when behavioral flexibility was required and ended as soon as the animal accumulated enough information to infer the solution, but had not yet tested it. Repetition-related activity occurred in a regime of memory-based motor performance in which attention to action is less necessary.

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Figure 1: Display, trial events, trial structure, anatomical location of task-related neurons in the problem-solving task and task-related intervals.
Figure 2: Saccadic RTs after the first and second target touches in different types of trials (one monkey).
Figure 3: Serial-order effects: two examples.
Figure 4: Search versus repetition differences.
Figure 5: Search versus repetition differences.
Figure 6: Population activity and transition from search to repetition.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Castner, W. Clower, J. Bullier, M. Jeannerod, K. Knoblauch and L. Romanski for their comments and V. Auger, C. Baleydier, V. Gaveau, M.L. Loyalle, P. Monjaud and C. Urquizar for technical assistance. This work was supported by GIS sciences de la cognition, France.

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Author notes

  1. E. Procyk

    Present address: Yale University School of Medicine, Section of Neurobiology, 333 Cedar Street, SHM B413, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM, Unité 94: Espace et Action, 16 av Lépine, Case 13, Bron, 69676, France

    E. Procyk & J. P. Joseph

  2. Department of Physiology, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1, Oyaguchi-Kamicho, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, 173, Japan

    Y. L. Tanaka

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  1. E. Procyk
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  3. J. P. Joseph
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Correspondence to E. Procyk.

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Procyk, E., Tanaka, Y. & Joseph, J. Anterior cingulate activity during routine and non-routine sequential behaviors in macaques. Nat Neurosci 3, 502–508 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/74880

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