The Role of the Rat Prefrontal Cortex and Sex Differences in Decision-Making.

The prefrontal cortex is critical for decision-making across species, with its activity linked to choosing between options. Drift diffusion models (DDMs) are commonly employed to understand the neural computations underlying this behavior. Studies exploring the specific roles of regions of the rodent prefrontal cortex in controlling the decision process are limited.

A role for the dorsolateral striatum in prospective action control.

The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is important for performing actions persistently, even when it becomes suboptimal, reflecting a function that is reflexive and habitual. However, there are also ways in which persistent behaviors can result from a more prospective, planning mode of behavior. To help tease apart these possibilities for DLS function, we trained animals to perform a lever press for reward and then inhibited the DLS in key test phases: as the task shifted from a 1-press to a 3-press rule (upshift), as the task was maintained, as the task shifted back to the one-press rule (downshift), and when rewards came independent of pressing.

The role of rat prelimbic cortex in decision making.

The frontal cortex plays a critical role in decision-making. One specific frontal area, the anterior cingulate cortex, has been identified as crucial for setting a threshold for how much evidence is needed before a choice is made (Domenech & Dreher, 2010). Threshold is a key concept in drift diffusion models, a popular framework used to understand decision-making processes.

Task history dictates how the dorsolateral striatum controls action strategy and vigor.

Unlabelled: The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is linked to the learning and honing of action routines. However, the DLS is also important for performing behaviors that have been successful in the past. The learning function can be thought of as prospective, helping to plan ongoing actions to be efficient and often optimal.