When macaques are making choices based on previously learned rewards, stronger communication between the mediodorsal thalamus and caudal prefrontal cortex is linked to slower responses — this circuit appears to support motor execution, not memory recall.
Evidence from Studies
No evidence studies found yet.
What Would Prove This
Per GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this claim, ordered from strongest to weakest.
Whether mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity consistently correlates with response time rather than memory performance across primate decision-making tasks.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of all fMRI studies in nonhuman primates measuring mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity during familiar vs. novel reward tasks, extracting correlations with choice accuracy and response time, stratified by task type and behavioral domain.
Whether pharmacologically altering mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity causally affects response time but not memory performance.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT in 30+ macaques using targeted chemogenetic inhibition or stimulation of mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC pathway, measuring changes in response time and familiar block accuracy as primary outcomes, with fMRI to confirm connectivity changes.
Whether baseline mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity predicts individual differences in response time during familiar choices.
A longitudinal cohort study of 50+ macaques measuring baseline mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity via resting-state fMRI, followed by repeated familiar block testing over weeks, analyzing whether baseline connectivity predicts median response time.
Whether macaques with naturally high mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity show slower response times during familiar choices than those with low connectivity.
A case-control study comparing 15 macaques with high baseline mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity (top quartile) to 15 with low connectivity (bottom quartile), matched for age and prior training, measuring response time during familiar blocks.
Whether mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity correlates with response time during a single session of familiar reward choices.
A cross-sectional study measuring resting-state mediodorsal thalamus–caudal vlPFC connectivity and response time in 100+ macaques during a single familiar block session, controlling for age, sex, and prior exposure to similar tasks.