德国马克斯·普朗克神经生物学研究所Pieter M. Goltstein课题组发现，小鼠前额叶皮层负责学习分类规则。相关论文于2021年4月21日在线发表在《自然》杂志上。
通过重复成像小鼠内侧前额叶皮层中的单个细胞，研究人员揭示了整个学习过程中神经元分类表示的形成。研究人员表明，小鼠很容易学习基于规则的分类，并普遍适用于新型刺激。在学习过程中，前额叶皮层中的神经元在获取分类选择性方面表现出明显的动态，并且在以后的规则转换过程中有差异地参与。神经元亚群选择性地且唯一地响应分类并反映概括行为。因此，小鼠前额叶皮层中的分类表示是在学习过程中逐渐获得的，而不是临时招募的。这个渐进过程表明，内侧前额叶皮层中的神经元是视觉分类特定语义记忆的一部分。
据了解，对感觉刺激进行分类的能力对于动物在复杂环境中的生存至关重要。记住类别而不是单个例子可以提高行为灵活性，并且在计算上具有优势。在哺乳动物新皮层的几个区域中发现了显示分类选择性的神经元，但在这种情况下前额叶皮层似乎起着重要的作用。具体来说，在经过分类训练的灵长类动物中，前额叶皮层中的神经元迅速而灵活地代表了学习的类别。但是，如何在幼小的动物中首次出现这些表示形式尚待探索。
附：英文原文
Title: Mouse prefrontal cortex represents learned rules for categorization
Author: Sandra Reinert, Mark Hbener, Tobias Bonhoeffer, Pieter M. Goltstein
Issue&Volume: 2021-04-21
Abstract: The ability to categorize sensory stimuli is crucial for an animal’s survival in a complex environment. Memorizing categories instead of individual exemplars enables greater behavioural flexibility and is computationally advantageous. Neurons that show category selectivity have been found in several areas of the mammalian neocortex1,2,3,4, but the prefrontal cortex seems to have a prominent role4,5 in this context. Specifically, in primates that are extensively trained on a categorization task, neurons in the prefrontal cortex rapidly and flexibly represent learned categories6,7. However, how these representations first emerge in naive animals remains unexplored, leaving it unclear whether flexible representations are gradually built up as part of semantic memory or assigned more or less instantly during task execution8,9. Here we investigate the formation of a neuronal category representation throughout the entire learning process by repeatedly imaging individual cells in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex. We show that mice readily learn rule-based categorization and generalize to novel stimuli. Over the course of learning, neurons in the prefrontal cortex display distinct dynamics in acquiring category selectivity and are differentially engaged during a later switch in rules. A subset of neurons selectively and uniquely respond to categories and reflect generalization behaviour. Thus, a category representation in the mouse prefrontal cortex is gradually acquired during learning rather than recruited ad hoc. This gradual process suggests that neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex are part of a specific semantic memory for visual categories.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03452-z
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03452-z
Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504
官方网址：http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接：http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html
本期文章：《自然》：Online/在线发表
