Project Details
Projekt
Behavioral history dependent prefrontal neurodynamics of human cognitive flexibility at single-neuron resolution
Applicant
Professor Dr. Simon N. Jacob
Subject Area
Cognitive, Systems and Behavioural Neurobiology
Term
since 2026
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 437610067
The human lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is central to the flexible expression of a wide range of cognitive functions, yet it is not well understood how intra-individual variability in cognitive processing is manifested and generated at the level of individual neurons and their circuits. In this project, we will leverage large-scale extracellular recordings from human subjects chronically implanted with intracortical microelectrode arrays, which provide stable single-neuron resolution over extended time periods, to study how prefrontal circuits are shaped and reorganized by an individual’s behavioral history. Specifically, we propose that transitions from developing task knowledge ("experience") to developing task mastery ("expertise") are mediated by dynamic shifts in the structure of neuronal activity at both single-unit and population levels. First, we will investigate how the activity of single LPFC neurons adapts as the subjects repeatedly transition from learning to mastering rule-based working memory tasks with implicit rule switches. Second, we will characterize population-level changes in representational geometry and rhythmic synchronization that accompany the transition from exploring to exploiting task rules. Third, we will apply targeted intracortical electrical microstimulation, a uniquely precise perturbation technique, to causally test the role of specific network dynamics in driving transitions at the neuronal and, possibly, the behavioral level. By integrating chronic neuronal monitoring at cellular resolution with mechanistic interventions, this project will establish new principles of intra-individual prefrontal circuit plasticity, providing a translational bridge between species and advancing novel frameworks for understanding the role of the human LPFC in moment-to-moment behavioral adaptation and cognitive variability.
DFG Programme
Research Units
