Circuit properties of the cortico-mesocortical system

摘要

It has been shown that dopamine (DA) modulates memory fields of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) neurons. The DAergic neurons which project to the PFC are localized in the midbrain. We here developed a computational model network which includes the PFC circuit and the mesencephalic DA unit to analyze the circuit property of the cortico-mesocortical system. In our computer simulation, the cortico-mesocortical system can regulate the DA level in the PFC and the sustained activity of the PFC neurons during the delay period. The simulation suggests that the stabilization of the DA level requires weak cortical feedback.