Cerebral Cortex Advance Access originally published online on September 15, 2004
Cerebral Cortex 2005 15(6):796-801; doi:10.1093/cercor/bhh180
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Cerebral Cortex V 15 N 6 © Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved
A Dynamic Shift of Neural Network Activity before and after Learning-set Formation
1 Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Graduate School of Medical Science, 465 Kajii-cho, Kamigo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan, 2 Department of Physiology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan, 3 Central Research Laboratory, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., 5000 Hirakuchi, Hamakita, Shizuoka 434-8601, Japan and 4 Department of Psychology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, 2-6 Musashidai, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8526, Japan
Address correspondence to Dr Hirotaka Onoe, Department of Psychology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, 2-6 Musashidai, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8526, Japan. Email onoe{at}tmin.ac.jp.
Learning-set (LS) is a property of insight and hypothesis testing characterized by the ability to solve novel problems based on previous experiences with problem solving. However, the neural organization and mechanisms underlying LS remain unclear. To further characterize this process, positron emission tomography (PET) studies with [15O]H2O were performed to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during the learning phase of the two-choice visual discrimination task under the LS paradigm in rhesus monkeys. When comparing studies before and after LS formation, the orbitofrontal and lateral prefrontal cortices were differentially activated, and functional connections between these structures and the striatum, which contributes to habit learning, were altered. We conclude that changes in the lateral prefrontal cortex during problem solving may contribute to the executive function of working memory and also inhibit control of a primitive learning system, thereby promoting LS formation.
Key Words: macaque monkey PET prefrontal cortex visual discrimination