Event:

High-level cognitive functions are supported by a distributed brain network with the prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex as major nodes. Because of its connection to mental disorders such as schizophrenia, dopamine has been strongly implicated in the control of cognition. The cellular basis, however, is poorly understood. I will report recent experiments combining multi-site single unit recordings and neuropharmacological approaches in awake behaving rhesus monkeys. The data shed light onto how single neurons in the frontoparietal cortex of primates give rise to intelligent, goal-directed behavior such as filtering of distracting information, perceptual decision-making and rule-based reasoning. All of these processes are heavily modulated by dopamine. The Findings I will present suggest cellular mechanisms by which disordered dopaminergic neurotransmission in mental diseases could disrupt important cognitive functions.