Laminar differences in decision-related neural activity in dorsal premotor cortex

Dorsal premotor cortex is implicated in somatomotor decisions. However, we do not understand the temporal patterns and laminar organization of decision-related firing rates in dorsal premotor cortex. We recorded neurons from dorsal premotor cortex of monkeys performing a visual discrimination task with reaches as the behavioral report. We show that these neurons can be organized along a bidirectional visuomotor continuum based on taskrelated firing rates. Increased neurons at one end of the continuum increased their firing rates similar to 150 ms after stimulus onset and these firing rates covaried systematically with choice, stimulus difficulty, and reaction time-characteristics of a candidate decision variable. Decreased neurons at the other end of the continuum reduced their firing rate after stimulus onset, while perimovement neurons at the center of the continuum responded only similar to 150 ms before movement initiation. These neurons did not show decision variable-like characteristics. Increased neurons were more prevalent in superficial layers of dorsal premotor cortex; deeper layers contained more decreased and perimovement neurons. These results suggest a laminar organization for decision-related responses in dorsal premotor cortex.