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Helen Barbas, Ph.D.

(Boston University and School of Medicine)

Prefrontal pathways for flexible behavior

Successful completion of everyday tasks requires focusing on relevant information and ignoring irrelevant stimuli. The prefrontal cortex in primates has a key role in these processes through mechanisms that are not understood. Recent findings indicate that prefrontal pathways synapse with excitatory and inhibitory neurons in sensory cortex, and with the specialized inhibitory systems of the thalamic reticular nucleus and the intercalated masses of the amygdala. The interface of the prefrontal cortex with these systems provides the structural basis for suppressing irrelevant stimuli, allowing behaviorally significant signals to gain access to the cortex.