Effects of visual experience on the representation of objects in the prefrontal cortex

The perception and recognition of objects are improved by experience. Here, we show that monkeys' ability to recognize degraded objects was improved by several days of practice with these objects. This improvement was reflected in the activity of neurons in the prefrontal (PF) cortex, a brain region critical for a wide range of visual behaviors. Familiar objects activated fewer neurons than did novel objects, but these neurons were more narrowly tuned, and the object representation was more resistant to the effects of degradation, after experience. These results demonstrate a neural correlate of visual learning in the PF cortex of adult monkeys.