Single unit activity during a Go/NoGo task in the ''prefrontal cortex'' ofpigeons

Single unit activity was recorded during a delayed auditory/visual Go/NoGo task from the neostriatum caudolaterale (NCL) of pigeons, a multimodal asso ciative avian forebrain structure comparable to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) . The animals were trained to mandibulate (to open their beak) during the G o period after which they received a drop of water as reward. Neuronal acti vity changes were observed during the delay period (DELAY) between auditory and visual stimulation, to the onset of the visual stimulus or to the deli very of the reward. In some neurons, responses were related to the behavior al significance of the stimulus such that the neuronal activity was statist ically different between Go and NoGo trials. Moreover, some units anticipat ed the upcoming reward or changed their firing frequency in a correlated ma nner prior to beak movements. These neuronal activity patterns suggest that the NCL provides a neural network that participates in the integration and processing of external stimuli in order to generate goal directed behavior . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.