Symmetric and Asymmetric Causal Neural Firing Interactions across Striatum, Anterior Cingulate and Prefrontal Cortex during Cognitive Control

Generally, successful performance of complex cognitive tasks depends on the function of interacting regions, including anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and ventral striatum (VS). During task performance, markers of communication amongst regions in the cognitive control network are frequently observed. Typically, however, these markers are agnostic with respect to the direction in which information passes through the system – although firing rate correlations and enhanced synchrony between regions are suggestive of causal interactions, these approaches are not sufficient for determining the influence of on region on another. In this manuscript, we apply a novel approach to investigate the causal dynamics of regions in the cognitive control network during correct and incorrect performance. Using experiment-averaged time courses recorded from ACC, LPFC, and VS, we identify neurons within each region exhibiting task-sensitive response dynamics and calculate Granger causality for each pair of neurons during salient task events. Cluster analysis of causality time courses identifies significant, bidirectional causality between regions following stimulus and feedback onset.