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Different Levels of Category Abstraction by Different Dynamics in Different Prefrontal Areas.

ABSTRACT: Categories can be grouped by shared sensory attributes (i.e., cats) or a more abstract rule (i.e., animals). We explored the neural basis of abstraction by recording from multi-electrode arrays in prefrontal cortex (PFC) while monkeys performed a dot-pattern categorization task. Category abstraction was varied by the degree of exemplar distortion from the prototype pattern. Different dynamics in different PFC regions processed different levels of category abstraction. Bottom-up dynamics (stimulus-locked gamma power and spiking) in the ventral PFC processed more low-level abstractions, whereas top-down dynamics (beta power and beta spike-LFP coherence) in the dorsal PFC processed more high-level abstractions. Our results suggest a two-stage, rhythm-based model for abstracting categories.

SUBMITTER: Wutz A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6091891 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Different Levels of Category Abstraction by Different Dynamics in Different Prefrontal Areas.

Wutz Andreas A Loonis Roman R Roy Jefferson E JE Donoghue Jacob A JA Miller Earl K EK

Neuron 20180127 3

Categories can be grouped by shared sensory attributes (i.e., cats) or a more abstract rule (i.e., animals). We explored the neural basis of abstraction by recording from multi-electrode arrays in prefrontal cortex (PFC) while monkeys performed a dot-pattern categorization task. Category abstraction was varied by the degree of exemplar distortion from the prototype pattern. Different dynamics in different PFC regions processed different levels of category abstraction. Bottom-up dynamics (stimulu ...[more]

PMID: 29395915

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