Summary: New research reveals that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) does more than send broad commands to sensory areas—it sends precise, target-specific signals that shape how the brain processes visual information depending on internal state. In mice, two distinct PFC subregions direct different forms of feedback to visual and motor cortices, either sharpening or dampening visual responses according to arousal and movement.
Using selective anatomical tracing, in vivo recordings, and targeted manipulations, the study shows that the PFC can enhance fine visual discrimination when needed or suppress distracting input. These findings describe a highly customized communication system that tunes perception to behavioral goals.
Key Facts:
- Targeted feedback: Two prefrontal subregions send specialized signals that either sharpen or suppress visual responses depending on arousal.
- Context-driven vision: Visual encoding in the primary visual cortex shifts dynamically with internal states such as movement and alertness.
- Distinct circuit roles: Each PFC pathway connects to different neuronal layers and exerts unique downstream effects.
Source: Picower Institute at MIT
Vision shapes behavior, and this new study by MIT neuroscientists finds that behavior and internal state also reshape vision.
Published Nov. 25 in Neuron, the study demonstrates in mice that the brain’s executive center—the prefrontal cortex—sends tailored messages to regions that govern vision and movement. Those messages ensure that sensory processing adapts to context, such as the animal’s arousal level and whether it is moving.
“That’s the major conclusion of this paper: there are targeted projections for targeted impact,” said senior author Mriganka Sur, Paul and Lilah Newton Professor at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
Previous work from other labs suggested that the PFC biases processing in posterior sensory regions. This study goes further by asking whether the PFC broadcasts a single, generic signal or customizes feedback for different downstream targets, and by identifying which target neurons receive that feedback.
Lead author Sofie Ährlund-Richter and colleagues focused on two PFC subregions—the orbitofrontal cortex (ORB) and the anterior cingulate area (ACA)—and mapped how each communicates with the primary visual cortex (VISp) and the primary motor cortex (MOp). Their experiments combined anatomical tracing, two-photon calcium imaging of axonal activity, and chemogenetic circuit perturbations.
They found that ACA and ORB convey distinct information to VISp and MOp and do so through different anatomical routes. For example, ACA axons preferentially target layer 6 of VISp whereas ORB axons target layer 5. Functionally, ACA carried more detailed visual stimulus information and scaled with arousal, while ORB contributed less visual detail and became influential mainly when arousal crossed a high threshold.
Behavioral context shaped what each pathway transmitted. When mice ran or received mild air puffs to increase alertness, ACA inputs promoted sharper visual representations in VISp as arousal rose, enhancing the cortex’s sensitivity to contrast. ORB inputs, by contrast, tended to reduce high-contrast visual encoding when arousal was very high, a pattern consistent with suppressing irrelevant or overly strong distractors.
“These two PFC subregions appear to balance each other,” Ährlund-Richter explained. “One pathway can boost weak or uncertain stimuli to aid detection, while the other can dampen strong but irrelevant inputs.”
The team also examined how PFC feedback related to motor signals. Both ACA and ORB conveyed information about running speed to MOp, while their signals to VISp reflected primarily whether the animal was moving or stationary. Additionally, both PFC areas transmitted arousal-related signals and some visual information to MOp, consistent with a role in coordinating perception and action.
To test causality, the researchers blocked specific PFC-to-VISp pathways and observed how VISp neuronal responses changed. Disrupting ACA input reduced the arousal-linked sharpening of visual responses, whereas disrupting ORB altered the suppression of high-contrast encoding. These manipulations confirmed that each pathway has a distinct and meaningful influence on sensory processing depending on behavioral state.
The authors conclude that PFC feedback is modular and target-specific: different PFC subregions selectively shape cortical activity in downstream areas, rather than applying a single global modulation. This modular organization allows the brain to flexibly adjust perception to match behavioral demands.
In addition to Sur and Ährlund-Richter, the paper’s authors include Yuma Osako, Kyle R. Jenks, Emma Odom, Haoyang Huang, and Don B. Arnold.
Funding: The research received support from a Wenner-Gren Foundations Postdoctoral Fellowship, the National Institutes of Health, and the Freedom Together Foundation.
Key Questions Answered:
A: They discovered that the prefrontal cortex sends customized feedback to visual and motor regions, adjusting how visual information is processed based on arousal and movement.
A: Yes. The study shows two PFC subregions transmit distinct, state-dependent signals that influence visual encoding in opposite ways.
A: It demonstrates that vision is actively shaped by internal states through targeted neural circuits, helping the brain prioritize relevant information for adaptive behavior.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- The journal paper was reviewed in full.
- Additional context was added by staff editors.
About this neuroscience and social isolation research news
Author: David Orenstein
Source: Picower Institute at MIT
Contact: David Orenstein – Picower Institute at MIT
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. “Distinct roles of prefrontal subregion feedback to the primary visual cortex across behavioral states” by Mriganka Sur et al., Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2025.10.037
Abstract
Distinct roles of prefrontal subregion feedback to the primary visual cortex across behavioral states
The mammalian prefrontal cortex (PFC) likely modulates sensory cortical processing during behavior through long-range feedback projections. Subregions such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACA) and ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex (ORB) exhibit distinct connectivity patterns that may support different roles in feedback modulation.
Combining axonal tracing, two-photon calcium imaging, and chemogenetic manipulations in mice, the study examined how ACA and ORB projections influence primary visual cortex (VISp) activity. ACA axons carried stronger visual-stimulus information and scaled with behavioral arousal, enhancing visual encoding in VISp. ORB projections conveyed behavior-related signals and tended to reduce high-contrast visual encoding when arousal was high. These results support a modular organization of PFC feedback, with distinct subregions selectively shaping target-specific cortical activity across behavioral states.