How the Brain Learns and Applies Rules: Sequential Neuronal Dynamics in the Prefrontal Cortex
-Researchers uncover dynamic neural patterns in the prefrontal cortex that predict success and guide behavior-

Summary

Understanding how the brain learns and applies rules is the key to unraveling the neural basis of flexible behavior. A new study from the University of Toyama, Japan, reveals that our ability to follow procedural rules is encoded in the evolving dynamics of neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).
The research team, led by Assistant Professor Shuntaro Ohno at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Japan, recorded neuronal activity in mice learning a Y-maze task. As learning progressed, distinct sequences of neural activation emerged in the mPFC that could predict whether the mouse succeeded or failed at obtaining a reward. Their findings were published in Volume 18, Article 56 of Molecular Brain on July 1, 2025.