TY - JOUR T1 - The Integrative Role of Frontopolar Cortex in Rule-Based Category Learning JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/107110 SP - 107110 AU - Dmitrii Paniukov AU - Tyler Davis Y1 - 2017/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/02/08/107110.abstract N2 - Category learning is a critical neurobiological function that allows organisms to simplify a complex world. Frontopolar cortex (FPC) is often active in neurobiological studies of category learning. FPC has been associated in previous literature with either switching between representations or with representational integration. The goal of the present study was to clarify the role of FPC in category learning and dissociate switching and integration accounts. Two common types of category learning tasks, matching and classification, were utilized. The matching task involved matching a reference stimulus to one of four target stimuli. In the classification task, participants were shown a single stimulus and learned to classify it into one of two categories. Although nearly identical, matching and classification place differential demands on switching and integration. In matching, a rule can be known with certainty after a single correct answer. In classification, participants may need to integrate evidence for a rule even after an initial correct response. This critical difference allows isolation of integrative functions from switching functions. If the FPC is primarily involved in switching between representations, it should cease to be active once participants settle on a given rule in both tasks. If the FPC is involved in integration, its activation should persist in the classification task, but not matching. The results revealed that FPC activation persisted into correct trials in classification, but not matching, suggesting that it continues to integrate information even after subjects have arrived at the correct rule. ER -