Indirection and symbol-like processing in the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia.

ABSTRACT: The ability to flexibly, rapidly, and accurately perform novel tasks is a hallmark of human behavior. In our everyday lives we are often faced with arbitrary instructions that we must understand and follow, and we are able to do so with remarkable ease. It has frequently been argued that this ability relies on symbol processing, which depends critically on the ability to represent variables and bind them to arbitrary values. Whereas symbol processing is a fundamental feature of all computer systems, it remains a mystery whether and how this ability is carried out by the brain. Here, we provide an example of how the structure and functioning of the prefrontal cortex/basal ganglia working memory system can support variable binding, through a form of indirection (akin to a pointer in computer

SUBMITTER: Kriete T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3799308 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature