Choice-predicting neurons in the prelimbic cortex during a modified Iowa-gambling-task for rats

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Thomas Klausberger
• Subject Area: Cognitive, Systems and Behavioural Neurobiology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 437610067

Success often depends on inspired choices between risk-taking for exciting achievements or perseverance with safe, incremental advancements. In this project we aim to discover neuronal firing patterns triggering such inspired decisions based on internal valuations of probabilistic evidence. We will train rats to perform a modified-Iowa-gambling-task, successfully adjusting choices between certain-small, or possible-big rewards with changing long-term advantages. Recently (Passecker et al., 2019), we have discovered a subset of specialized neurons in the prelimbic subdivision (PL) of medial PFC, whose firing predict the subsequent decision of the animal, even for unlikely choices. During this project, we will perform juxtacellular recording and labelling of these neurons to determine their cellular identity and axonal projections, we will manipulate neuronal activity during the gambling task and we will develop computational models to explain the network dynamics underlying choices during gambling and dynamically adjusting decisions based on internal valuations.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5159: Resolving the prefrontal circuits of cognitive flexibility
• International Connection: Austria
• Partner Organisation: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF)