The lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is essential for higher-level cognition, but the nature of its interactions in supporting cognitive control remains elusive. Previously (Nee and D'Esposito, 2016), dynamic causal modeling (DCM) indicated that mid LPFC integrates abstract, rostral and concrete, caudal influences to inform context-appropriate action. Here, we use continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) to test this model causally. cTBS was applied to three LPFC sites and a control site in counterbalanced sessions. Behavioral modulations resulting from cTBS were largely predicted by information flow within the previously estimated DCM. However, cTBS to caudal LPFC unexpectedly impaired processes that are presumed to involve rostral LPFC. Adding a pathway from caudal to mid-rostral LPFC significantly improved the model fit and accounted for the observed behavioral findings. These data provide causal evidence for LPFC dynamics supporting cognitive control and demonstrate the utility of combining DCM with causal manipulations to test and refine models of cognition.

中文翻译：

---

支持认知控制的外侧前额叶皮层动力学的因果证据

外侧前额叶皮层 (LPFC) 对高级认知至关重要，但其在支持认知控制方面的相互作用的性质仍然难以捉摸。此前（Nee 和 D'Esposito，2016 年），动态因果模型 (DCM) 表明，中 LPFC 整合了抽象、头端和具体的尾端影响，以告知适合上下文的行动。在这里，我们使用连续 theta-burst 经颅磁刺激 (cTBS) 来测试这个模型。cTBS 应用于平衡会话中的三个 LPFC 站点和一个控制站点。由 cTBS 引起的行为调制主要由先前估计的 DCM 中的信息流预测。然而，cTBS 到尾端 LPFC 出乎意料地受损，这些过程被认为涉及嘴端 LPFC。添加从尾端到中端 LPFC 的通路显着改善了模型拟合并解释了观察到的行为结果。这些数据为支持认知控制的 LPFC 动力学提供了因果证据，并证明了将 DCM 与因果操作相结合以测试和改进认知模型的效用。