In this fluorescence image, the nerve fibers of two areas of the prefrontal cortex of a mouse glow in different colors. Depending on their origin in this control area of the brain, these axons glow either red or green. Axons can be thought of as “cables” between nerve cells that transmit electrical impulses. This image shows how these fibers coming from the frontal lobe enter the visual center of the mouse brain and end there in different layers.
The prefrontal cortex, located behind the forehead, is involved in functions such as planning, decision-making, impulse control and working memory. It collects information from many brain regions and helps the mouse adapt its behavior to its current state – such as how alert or stressed it is at the moment. This region of the brain also sends signals to areas that are responsible for perception, such as the visual cortex, which is visible here through the colored axons.
Researchers led by Sofie Ährlund-Richter from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered exactly how this connection between the control center and the visual center works in experiments with mice. The mice ran on a running wheel, saw pictures and short film scenes with different contrasts and were given small bursts of air every now and then to make them more awake. Meanwhile, the team recorded the animals’ brain activity.
It was shown that two areas in the prefrontal cortex have different influences on visual processing depending on the situation. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) adapts the processing of visual impressions depending on the state of arousal, while the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) only becomes active when arousal is very high and tends to dampen visual processing.