Monkey dorsolateral prefrontal cortex sends task-selective signals directly to the superior colliculus

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been implicated in the ability to perform complex behaviors requiring the implementation of cognitive control. A central supposition of models of prefrontal function is that the DLPFC engages control by selectively modulating the activity of target structures to which it is connected, but no studies in the primate have directly investigated DLPFC output signals. Here, we recorded the activity of DLPFC neurons identified as sending a direct projection to the superior colliculus, a midbrain oculomotor structure, while monkeys performed alternating blocks of trials in which they had to look toward a flashed peripheral stimulus (prosaccades) and trials in which they had to look away from the stimulus in the opposite direction (antisaccades). We report the first direct evidence that the primate DLPFC sends task-selective signals to a target structure. This supports the notion that the DLPFC orchestrates the activity of other brain areas in accordance with task requirements.