A01Decoding of complex neural representations in prefrontal cortex

 The ability to make various decisions depending on the environment is an important function that evolved particularly in primates. Although the pre-frontal cortex is known to be crucial for this function, little is known concerning the cortical circuits underlying the computation that realizes this function, mainly because the representation of the pre-frontal cortex is complex. In this study, we will obtain massive data from the pre-frontal cortex using electrocorticogram (ECoG) during a task switching paradigm based on perceptual decision making. We will decode complex pre-frontal representations using deep learning to make explicit the cortical networks that allow flexible decision making. Specifically, we will build an optimal neural network that extracts information about the outer world, in addition to various inner decision variables that are crucial for decision making. By visualizing the neural network, we will understand which part of the data was critical to the decoding process.