Fig. 3.

Neuronal population activity around the choice and the reward. A: neuronal population averages around the time of the choice. The overall pattern of firing was similar in animals trained in the self-paced (N = 3) and controlled (N = 2) versions of the task. B: behavioral data from 1 of the rats, showing the distribution of when the rat entered the reward port and licked on the spout in relation to the time of the choice. C: neuronal population averages around the time of the reward. The overall pattern of firing was nearly identical in animals trained in the 2 versions of the task. One difference between the task variations was the visual stimulus that was triggered by lever pressing at the end of the delay period. This stimulus served as a sort of “Go” cue (see Caetano et al. 2012), and neuronal activity was more sharply modulated around the time of the stimulus in the animals tested in the controlled version of the task. D: behavioral data from the same rat in A, showing the distribution of when the rat entered the choice ports and licked on the spout in relation to the time of the reward.