# Distinct long-range inputs to prefrontal cortex coordinate visual decision making

> **NIH NIH F31** · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2022 · $30,282

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The goal of the proposed research is to understand how perceptual decision-making circuits in the prefrontal
cortex (PFC) compare distinct streams of sensory information to select actions. A large body of work identifies
the PFC as an important node in perceptual decision-making circuits, with a critical role in sensory
representation and action selection. However, how the PFC uses sensory signals to generation choice signals
is unclear. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a sub-region
of PFC, plays an important role in visually guided decision-making behavior. Furthermore, work from our lab
and others find that the visual cortex (VC) projects directly to the ACC, and that the hemispheres of the ACC
are heavily interconnected. Our recent work shows that these inputs convey information to each hemisphere of
the ACC about its contralateral and ipsilateral visual hemifield. Thus, these pathways provide an opportunity to
examine how distinct streams of sensory information are used to generate perceptual choice signals in the
prefrontal cortex. I have designed a two-alternative forced choice task that requires the comparison of
convergent information across visual hemifields. Head-fixed mice are trained on a two-alternative forced choice
task that requires them to compare visual cues in either hemifield and report the location of a target cue by
rotating a ball. I hypothesize that the ACC integrates VC and ACC inputs to guide action selection in this
behavior. I also propose that this comparison process is reflected in the activity of the ACC’s sensory
representation, evidence, and choice cells. To evaluate these hypotheses, I will combine this sophisticated
head-fixed behavior with areal and projection-specific optogenetics and in vivo multiphoton imaging. In Aim 1, I
will determine the contributions of VC and ACC to this behavior using areal optogenetics. I will also test the
hypothesis that axons from VC and ACC convey distinct information about either visual hemifield by using
projection-specific optogenetics. In Aim 2, I will use two-photon imaging and population decoding to identify
sensory representation, evidence, and choice cells in the ACC of behaving mice. Then, I will combine axonal
inactivation with two-photon imaging during behavior to determine how the information these two pathways
convey interacts with sensory representation, evidence, and choice cells. Together, these experiments will
determine the role of distinct inputs to visual decision-making in the ACC and identify a local visual perceptual
decision-making circuit. The prevalence of executive dysfunctions in numerous brain disorders and scarcity of
targeted therapeutics to treat them urges basic research on the brain mechanisms underlying higher cognitive
functions like decision-making. By identifying the contributions of long-range and local PFC circuits to decision-
making, these studies may highlight ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10461074
- **Project number:** 5F31EY031259-03
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Karen Guadalupe Cruz
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $30,282
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2023-01-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10461074

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10461074, Distinct long-range inputs to prefrontal cortex coordinate visual decision making (5F31EY031259-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10461074. Licensed CC0.

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