Recording and manipulating activity in frontal cortical circuits for learning and decision making.

Talk abstract: In this talk I will review some recent studies that have used a combination of fMRI and transcranial ultrasound stimulation to both record from and perturb frontal cortical brain circuits for decision making in macaques.  Activity patterns in different parts of cingulate and prefrontal areas appear to guide different types of decision making – for example when planning a future change in behaviour or when trying to make a novel decision that has not been made in the past.  By manipulating activity in the same brain area it is possible to demonstrate specific patterns of impairment that are consistent with both causal and specific decision making roles for the different areas.