# Neuronal Mechanisms of Credit Assignment in the Prefrontal Cortex

> **NIH NIH R01** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $455,961

## Abstract

Credit assignment is a critical component of learning in environments where the outcomes of particular choices
may be delayed, and where the cause for any particular outcome may be but one among many possibilities.
Properly assigning credit for specific outcomes underlies our ability to determine causality and make sense of
our environment. However, the manner in which we connect causes to effects is not well understood. We
believe the lack of knowledge about credit assignment and uncertainties in existing data arise from three main
factors: 1) the absence of clear criteria neuronal activity must fulfill to solve the credit assignment problem; 2)
the paucity of single neuron neurophysiology, obtained during appropriate cognitive tasks, to reveal the low-
level representations involved in credit assignment; and 3) the lack of direct comparisons across neuronal
populations to determine the relative contributions of the lateral, orbital and medial PFC (ℓPFC, ơPFC and
𝑚PFC) to this cognitive function. Based on previous work and our own data, we hypothesize the ℓPFC is the
PFC region whose activity is most consistent with credit assignment. Specifically, we expect neuronal activity
fulfilling the requirements for credit assignment to be most prominent in the ℓPFC, whereas activity in other
PFC areas (ơPFC and 𝑚PFC) will fail to conform to those requirements, or do so in a delayed fashion relative
to the ℓPFC. Further, we predict credit assignment related activity in the ℓPFC will be most predictive of
learning behavior. We will record neurons in the PFC of nonhuman primates performing relevant cognitive
tasks while applying a multi-level approach to elucidate the the circuit mechanisms of credit assignment. We
will analyze individual neurons, population codes and dynamic inter-areal communication to understand these
critical representations and their relationship to behavior. A better understanding of how the PFC contributes to
this critical cognitive function will enable a more mechanistic assessment of frontal lobe impairments observed
in frontal dementia, traumatic brain injury, stroke and other neurological diseases, as well as facilitate more
principled therapies for these debilitating conditions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10115809
- **Project number:** 5R01MH115035-04
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Wael Asaad
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $455,961
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10115809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10115809, Neuronal Mechanisms of Credit Assignment in the Prefrontal Cortex (5R01MH115035-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10115809. Licensed CC0.

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