It remains unclear whether and, if so, how nonhuman animals make on-the-fly predictions during pursuit. Here we used a novel laboratory pursuit task that incentivizes the prediction of future prey positions. We trained three macaques to perform a joystick-controlled pursuit task in which prey follow intelligent escape algorithms. Subjects aimed toward the likely future positions of the prey, which indicated that they generate internal predictions and use these to guide behavior. We then developed a generative model that explains real-time pursuit trajectories and showed that our subjects use prey position, velocity and acceleration to make predictions. We identified neurons in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex whose responses track these three variables. These neurons multiplexed prediction-related variables with a distinct and explicit representation of the future position of the prey. Our results provide a clear demonstration that the brain can explicitly represent future predictions and highlight the critical role of anterior cingulate cortex for future-oriented cognition.

目前尚不清楚非人类动物是否以及如果是这样的话，非人类动物在追逐过程中如何做出即时预测。在这里，我们使用了一种新颖的实验室追踪任务，该任务可以激励对未来猎物位置的预测。我们训练了三只猕猴执行操纵杆控制的追踪任务，其中猎物遵循智能逃生算法。受试者瞄准猎物未来可能的位置，这表明他们产生内部预测并使用这些预测来指导行为。然后，我们开发了一个生成模型来解释实时追踪轨迹，并表明我们的受试者使用猎物位置、速度和加速度来进行预测。我们确定了背侧前扣带回皮层中的神经元，其反应跟踪这三个变量。这些神经元将预测相关变量与猎物未来位置的独特而明确的表示多路复用。我们的研究结果清楚地证明了大脑可以明确地代表未来的预测，并突出前扣带皮层在面向未来的认知中的关键作用。