Representational Organization of Novel Task Sets during Proactive Encoding

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0725-19.2019
• Publication Date: 2019-08-19T21:45:15Z
• Authors: Ana F. Palenciano; Carlos González-G...; Juan E. Arco; Luiz Pessoa; María Ruz
• Keywords: Intraparietal sulcus

Recent multivariate analyses of brain data have boosted our understanding the organizational principles that shape neural coding. However, most this progress has focused on perceptual visual regions (Connolly et al., 2012), whereas far less is known about organization more abstract, action-oriented representations. In study, we humans' remarkable ability to turn novel instructions into actions. While previous research shows instruction encoding tightly linked proactive activations in frontoparietal regions, little structure orchestrates such anticipatory representation. We collected fMRI while participants (both males and females) followed complex verbal rules varied across control-related variables (integrating within/across stimuli dimensions, response complexity, target category) reward expectations. Using representational similarity analysis (Kriegeskorte 2008), explored where these explained task encoding, whether motivation modulated spaces. Instruction representations lateral PFC were structured by three variables, intraparietal sulcus encoded complexity fusiform gyrus precuneus organized its activity according relevant stimulus category. Reward exerted a general effect, increasing among different instructions, which was robustly correlated with behavioral improvements. Overall, results highlight flexibility governed distinct organizations specific regions. They also stress variability motivation-control interactions, appear be highly dependent attributes, as or novelty.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT comparison other primates, humans display success contexts thanks transform effective This skill associated task-set reconfigurations cortices. It remains yet unknown, however, how encodes anticipation flexible, rich repertoire tasks can achieve. Here cognitive control motivation-related might orchestrate space for instructions. Our showed dimensions become prospective depending region, simultaneously following variables. Motivation modulation upon process, diminishing rather than distances