Adaptive Coding

摘要

Acentury ago, psychologists consid-ered cognitive control to be a major player in decision-making (1,2). Yet, the study of how perception and action are mediated by instructions and intentions entered a twilight zone during the middle part of last century as behaviorists turned their backs on mental processes that they could not directly observe. It was not until the turn of the millennium that psychologists and neuroscientists regained their interest in understanding how the human brain regulates the flow of information to achieve intended goals. Notably, this resurgence of interest in cognitive control (5) coincided with methodological innovations such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electrical recordings from single neurons. Such techniques enable dissection of the brain activities that underlie mental operations. Two studies, on pages 1121 (4) and 1118 (5) of this issue, nicely illustrate another development that may boost investigation of cognitive control beyond its renaissance. The new work was inspired by the notion that neurons in the frontal region of the brain (or neuronal ensembles, or even brain areas) may dynamically and adaptively switch between multiple functions rather than statically accomplishing preset tasks.