Self control is the ability to inhibit self-defeating behavior, failures of which are associated with social conduct disorders, drug addiction, obesity, and criminal behavior. It typically involves resisting temptation- forgoing easy, immediate rewards that lead to suboptimal or negative long-term outcomes. Under natural conditions, self control must be exerted through time, in the face of continuous temptation. The proposed experiments investigate prefrontal mechanisms for this kind of continuous self control using neural recording in behaving monkeys. We developed an oculomotor choice task in which self control must be exerted through time while a faster, suboptimal reward remains available. We will use neural recording to study dynamic, circuit level mechanisms of self control in 3 prefrontal regions: orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), supplementary eye field (SEF), and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC). We will be testing 3 specific aims:
Aim 1 : To test the hypothesis that competition between self control and temptation is embodied by dynamically changing value signals in OFC that predict timing of self control failures. OFC is known to encode the subjective value of reward options. We will record simultaneously the neural activity of multiple neurons in OFC of monkeys performing the continuous self control task. We expect that: (a) the activity OFC neurons encoding the temptation reward option will covary inversely, with the activity of OFC neurons encoding the larger, delayed reward option, and (b) the timing of self control failures (choosing the temptation reward) will be predicted by the time at which the ratio of activity between these two neural subpopulations reaches a critical threshold.
Aim 2 : To test the hypothesis that SEF neurons generate self control signals that bias value representations of specific actions (saccade targets) in OFC. SEF plays a role in controlling oculomotor behavior. We will record simultaneously from neurons in SEF and OFC. We expect that: (a) the activity of SEF neurons associated with the delayed reward target will be functionally linked with OFC value representations, (b) the activity of these neurons will predict self control behavioral outcome, and (c) inactivation by cooling of SEF will bias OFC value representations and behavioral outcomes toward failures of self control.
Aim 3 : To test the hypothesis that LPFC neurons provide general, longer term control signals that bias self control activity in OFC and predict gradual changes in self control behavior. LPFC is known to encode long-term behavioral goals. We will record simultaneously from neurons in LPFC and OFC. We expect that: (a) the activity of task-related LPFC neurons will exhibit a long term relationship to OFC value representations (extending across multiple trials), (b) the activity of these neurons will predict self control behavioral outcomes, and (c) inactivation by cooling of LPFC will bias OFC value representations and behavioral outcomes toward failures of self control.
Self control is the ability to inhibit self-defeating behavior, failures of which are associated with social conduct disorders, drug addiction, obesity, and criminal behavior, and it typically involves resisting temptation-forgoing easy, immediate rewards that lead to suboptimal or negative long-term outcomes. Under natural conditions, self control must be exerted through time, in the face of continuous temptation. The proposed experiments investigate prefrontal mechanisms for this kind of continuous self control using neural recording in behaving monkeys.
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