Top-down prediction signals from the medial prefrontal cortex govern auditory cortex prediction errors

[EN] Under the predictive coding framework, the brain generates a model of the environment based on previous experiences. Incoming sensory information is compared to this model, such that if predictions do not match sensory inputs, a prediction error is generated. Predictions are passed top-down, an...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Hockley, Adam, Bohórquez, Laura H., Malmierca, Manuel S.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositorio:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/167640
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/167640
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Auditory cortex
Cingulate cortex
Neuroscience
Neural synchrony
Optogenetic silencing
Prediction errors
Predictive coding
Prefrontal cortex
Top-down processing
2490.01 Neurofisiología
2411.13 Fisiología de la Audición
6106.01 Actividad Cerebral
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Under the predictive coding framework, the brain generates a model of the environment based on previous experiences. Incoming sensory information is compared to this model, such that if predictions do not match sensory inputs, a prediction error is generated. Predictions are passed top-down, and prediction errors emerge when bottom-up information does not match the predictions. Prediction errors occur sequentially in the primary auditory cortex (A1) and then the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Here, we test the hypothesis that the mPFC sends predictions that contribute to the generation of prediction errors. We used optogenetics to block top-down signals from the mPFC while recording neuronal prediction errors in the A1 under the classical “oddball” paradigm. Blocking top-down signals reduces prediction errors in the A1 in response to rare sounds, while it does not affect responses to predictable or random sounds. Our results provide empirical evidence for top-down prediction signals from the mPFC that enhance A1 responses to unpredicted stimuli.