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Neural dynamics of proactive and reactive cognitive control in medial and lateral prefrontal cortex

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Gol-directed behavior requires adjusting cognitive control to both react to and prepare for conflict. Previous work indicates theta oscillations and population activity in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) are critical for reactive control. However, the neural mechanisms supporting proactive control are less clear. Here, we investigated the neural basis of behavioral adaptations when control is prepared in anticipation of conflict using intracranial EEG (iEEG) in dmPFC and dlPFC during a Stroop task where conflict frequency was manipulated across blocks. We observed canonical conflict-driven increases in dmPFC theta and in dmPFC and dlPFC local population activity, as indexed by high frequency activity (HFA). Conflict also suppressed theta power in both regions after the response, accentuated a pre-response beta desynchronization selectively in dlPFC, and increased a post-response beta rebound in both regions. Importantly, we identified a pre-trial marker of proactive control where dmPFC theta power increased before trials when conflict was expected, and theta, beta, and HFA conflict signals in both regions were enhanced when conflict was rare and diminished when conflict was common. These findings reveal shared HFA but dissociable oscillatory dynamics in dmPFC and dlPFC during reactive conflict processing, highlight pre-trial dmPFC theta as a potential substrate for proactive control, and refine the roles of dmPFC and dlPFC in control adaptations.
Source: iScience
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113375
Authors: Anas U. Khan, Colin W. Hoy, Kristopher L. Anderson, Vitoria Piai, David King-Stephens, Kenneth D. Laxer, Peter Weber, Jack J. Lin, Robert T. Knight, J. Nicole Bentley
Institutions: University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of California, San Francisco, University of California, Berkeley, Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, University of California, Irvine, California Pacific Medical Center, University of California, Davis
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,240
Funders: National Science Foundation, Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Awards: Attention, Orientation and the Human Prefrontal Cortex, G2146779822, Human brain mechanisms underlying motivation and apathy, G6261236223, G7534059392, G8143583257, Identifying the neural mechanisms of goal-directed decision-making in Parkinson's disease using closed-loop deep brain stimulation, G992928289
OpenAlex ID: W4413416377
FWCI: 4.384
Cites: 65
Cited by: 8
Related to: 10