The role of acetylcholine in the mPFC and the PPC during working memory: The behavioral analysis of pharmacological and optogenetical manipulation of neural activity and cholinergic modulation

Abstract

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) together with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been known as essential regions for cognitive functions such as attention, navigation, decision-making, as well as working memory (WM). Lesion of the PPC or the PFC leads to a significant WM im-pairment in various animals. Particularly, the critical function of the cholinergic innervation in the PFC has been demonstrated in chemically or genetically depleted animal models, yet the func-tion of acetylcholine in PPC has never been explored thoroughly.