Behave of Brain: According to a recent study in Nature, brain cells that serve as “map makers” enable animals to keep track of where they are in behavioral sequences. The brain can handle complicated activities like planning, reasoning, and decision-making thanks to these neurons in the medial frontal cortex, which have the ability to encode abstract patterns of progress. According to the researchers, these neurons work similarly to a music box in that they can dynamically arrange action sequences to accommodate shifting objectives.
Brain Behaviour in Humans
Humans structure their behavior and frequently perform complex action sequences to accomplish specific objectives. These steps necessitate meticulous coordination, whether preparing a dish or resolving a challenging issue. The brain creates generalized frameworks known as schemata when tasks have similar components, which makes it easier for the brain to adapt and pick up new behaviors.
Although previous studies have linked the medial frontal cortex to task structure mapping, schemata formation, and task switching, the exact biological mechanisms underlying these processes are still unknown. In order to better understand how the brain plans and flexibly carries out action sequences, the researchers set out to understand how neurons encode abstract progress in challenging, multi-goal tasks.
“We use generalization from our knowledge to solve new challenges every day. Consider cooking as an example. Even if you have never prepared the dish before, you can utilize your prior experience with comparable recipes to determine the necessary procedures when presented with a new one. Mohamady El Gaby, the study’s first author and a postdoctoral neuroscientist in the Behrens lab at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at University College London and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, explained that he and his team sought to understand, at a detailed cellular level, how the brain achieves complex problem-solving and to infer the algorithms used to solve it.
Brain Behaviour Experiment
A structured maze task and mice were used in the experiment that the study team created. In order to gather water rewards at four objective spots (designated A, B, C, and D) set in a repeating loop, the mice had to navigate a 3×3 grid maze. The mouse had to go back to position A to complete the loop once the sequence was reset after the reward at place D was collected.
The general sequence structure stayed the same even as the rewards’ spatial positions varied from task to task. With this configuration, scientists were able to examine whether the mice could pick up an abstract framework (the sequence) without reference to particular spatial arrangements.
Thirteen mice participated in the study and underwent two training sessions. Researchers allowed the mice to attempt each sequence repeatedly until they achieved proficiency during the first phase. Researchers subjected the mice to a “rapid-task regime” in the second phase, presenting them with three new activities daily and limiting trials for each task. During this phase, researchers evaluated the mice’s ability to generalize sequence structure and function effectively with minimal experience.
Researchers recorded activity from neurons in the medial frontal cortex using silicon probes. In order to investigate the neural activity underlying these actions. Researchers were able to track the firing patterns of individual neurons in response to behavioral signals such as goal states and task progress thanks to the probes. The team may deduce how the brain arranges information about tasks and sequences by examining these patterns.
Researchers discovered that neurons in the medial frontal cortex sequentially encode the mice’s progress toward specific goals. This phenomenon known as “goal-progress tuning.” Instead of physical variables like time elapsed or distance traveled, these neurons responded in response to the animal’s position within the abstract task structure. This made it possible for the mice to keep an adaptable view of their development even when the maze’s design changed.
Furthermore, certain neurons showed “state tuning,” which is the ability to be selectively active at particular places in the sequence (e.g., at target A or B). State-tuned neurons formed clusters or “modules” that actively stored specific sequence segments in memory buffers. These modules enabled the brain to rapidly adapt to new activities by following and predicting the structure of the series.
The brain demonstrated its ability to generalize task mappings by smoothly adapting the same neural systems. When researchers changed the sequence structure to incorporate a fifth goal (ABCDE). This demonstrated that rather than developing brand-new representations for every task. The medial frontal cortex represents abstract task components using adaptable, reusable “building blocks.”
We discovered that, in relation to specific acts, the cells followed the animal’s behavioral position. Using the analogy of cooking, the cells were concerned with achieving subgoals like cutting vegetables. Additionally, a portion of the cells actively tracked progress toward the ultimate objective, such as completing dinner preparation. According to El Gaby, the “goal progress” cells thus serve as adaptable building pieces. That combine to form a behavioral coordinate system.
The brain actively constructs representations of complex task structures by hierarchically organizing simpler goal-progress signals. Researchers utilized the Structured Memory Buffer (SMB) model, a computational framework, to actively model these observations. This paradigm asserts that neurons actively organize into modules, tracking progress relative to specific behavioral steps. These modules work together to create a dynamic network. That can calculate and store action sequences, enabling the brain to quickly adjust to new activities.
The study has limitations even if it offers valuable insights. Although very instructive, the results are based on animal models, which might not adequately represent the complexity of human behavior. Researchers must conduct further investigation to determine whether similar processes function in the human brain. Preliminary data suggest that similar circuits may be active in healthy humans. Researchers must now actively investigate to fully elucidate this relationship.
The study also concentrated on task structures that were comparatively simple. Future studies could look into how the brain integrates disparate sequences into bigger frameworks or processes more intricate, multi-layered sequences. Gaining insight into these higher-order processes may help close the gap between simple brain algorithms and complex human activities.
How these patterns of brain activity manifest throughout learning and growth is another area of interest for the researchers. Scientists aim to find new methods for improving learning and adaptation by studying how the brain creates and improves its task maps over time.
The study, “A cellular basis for mapping behavioural structure,” was authored by Mohamady El-Gaby, Adam Loyd Harris, James C. R. Whittington, William Dorrell, Arya Bhomick, Mark E. Walton, Thomas Akam, and Timothy E. J. Behrens.
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Self-Transformation, Self-Development, Process, Techniques
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