Control of visual cortical signals by prefrontal dopamine

The prefrontal cortex has an important role in higher cognitive functions, and is thought to control the information in the visual cortex, but little is known about the specifics of this modulation. Behrad Noudoost and Tirin Moore now show that pharmacological modification of D1 dopamine receptors in the frontal eye field selectively affects responses of neurons in area V4 of the visual cortex and behaviourally increases target selection in that region. These results identify a role for D1 receptors in mediating the sensory areas in the frontal cortex and suggest how processing in sensory areas could be altered in mental disorders that involve prefrontal dopamine.