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Prefrontal Dynamics Associated with Efficient Detours and Shortcuts: A Combined Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetoencenphalography Study

Javadi, Amir-Homayoun; Patai, Eva Zita; Marin-Garcia, Eugenia; Margolis, Aaron; Tan, Heng-Ru M.; Kumaran, Dharshan; Nardini, Marko; Penny, Will; Duzel, Emrah; Dayan, Peter; Spiers, Hugo J.

Prefrontal Dynamics Associated with Efficient Detours and Shortcuts: A Combined Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetoencenphalography Study Thumbnail


Authors

Amir-Homayoun Javadi

Eva Zita Patai

Eugenia Marin-Garcia

Aaron Margolis

Heng-Ru M. Tan

Dharshan Kumaran

Will Penny

Emrah Duzel

Peter Dayan

Hugo J. Spiers



Abstract

Central to the concept of the “cognitive map” is that it confers behavioral flexibility, allowing animals to take efficient detours, exploit shortcuts, and avoid alluring, but unhelpful, paths. The neural underpinnings of such naturalistic and flexible behavior remain unclear. In two neuroimaging experiments, we tested human participants on their ability to navigate to a set of goal locations in a virtual desert island riven by lava, which occasionally spread to block selected paths (necessitating detours) or receded to open new paths (affording real shortcuts or false shortcuts to be avoided). Detours activated a network of frontal regions compared with shortcuts. Activity in the right dorsolateral pFC specifically increased when participants encountered tempting false shortcuts that led along suboptimal paths that needed to be differentiated from real shortcuts. We also report modulation in event-related fields and theta power in these situations, providing insight to the temporal evolution of response to encountering detours and shortcuts. These results help inform current models as to how the brain supports navigation and planning in dynamic environments.

Citation

Javadi, A., Patai, E. Z., Marin-Garcia, E., Margolis, A., Tan, H. M., Kumaran, D., …Spiers, H. J. (2019). Prefrontal Dynamics Associated with Efficient Detours and Shortcuts: A Combined Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetoencenphalography Study. The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 31(8), 1227-1247. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01414

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 12, 2019
Online Publication Date Jun 27, 2019
Publication Date 2019
Deposit Date May 8, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Print ISSN 0898-929X
Electronic ISSN 1530-8898
Publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 31
Issue 8
Pages 1227-1247
DOI https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01414

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Copyright Statement
© 2019 Massachusetts Institute of Technology





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