Brain Circuit Enables Split Second Decision When Cues Conflict

I read the article "Brain Circuit Enables Split Second Decision When Cues Conflict" by Helen Knight at MIT. http://neurosciencenews.com/cue-conflicts-neural-network-6484/

 Researchers at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT have discovered a circuit in the brain that is critical in determining how we respond to contrasting information from the environment, which is a key feature in mental health and survival ability. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex have been associated with reward-seeking and fear-related responses for quite some time.The amygdala is important for emotional processing and the prefrontal cortex plays an important role in higher cognitive processing. The two are related, with the amygdala initiating a fear response and the prefrontal cortex quickly examining the environment and sending a signal to the amygdala that the environment is not dangerous. However, the exact interaction is unknown.

Researchers conducted an experiment in rats to better understand how this process and exchange of information works. They simultaneously recorded neural activity in both the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala and the prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex and then gave the rats a task to perform, which involved displaying contradictory environmental cues- one associated with a sugary reward and the other associated with punishment. The researchers were able to see and identify exactly which neurons in the basolateral nucelus of the amygdala were sending information to the prelimbic medial frontal cortex. Researchers then tested how accurately the firing of these neurons would predict the behavior of the rat when facing environmental cues, using a machine-learned algorithm to collect data on how the neurons fired when rats were presented with the reward cue or the punishment cue. The researchers then recorded data when rats were presented with both cues at the same time. They found that the neurons of the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala directly connected to the prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex were the best at predicting behavior and can accurately predict how the animal will behave. Their discovery was an important advancement and will be helpful in not only predicting behavior, but also in understanding mental illness, since impaired judgement may play a factor in psychiatric disorders.

I thought this was a very interesting article that related closely to what was discussed in class.  We discussed the pathways of emotional processing and the functions of the prefrontal cortex so it is interesting to see the two related. The instant decision making process is not something I often think of and this article opened my eyes to a different way of thinking.  As an Animal Behavior major, I focus mainly on the behavior of animals and often forget that we, as humans, are animals and have similar underlying physiological behaviors and processes when it comes to survival. I am intrigued to see how future research will expand our knowledge on this topic and the implications discovering more about this pathway may have.