{
  "abstract": "A hallmark of intelligence is proficiency in solving new problems, including those that differ dramatically from problems seen before. Problem-solving, in turn, depends on goal-directed generation of novel ideas and behaviors 1 , which has been proposed to rely on internal representations of discrete units, or symbols, and processes that recombine these units into a large set of possible composite representations 1–9 . Although this view has been influential in formulating cognitive-level explanations of behavior, definitive evidence for a neuronal substrate of symbols has remained elusive. Here, we identify a neural population encoding action symbols—recombinable representations of discrete units of motor behavior—localized to a specific area of frontal cortex. In macaque monkeys performing a drawing-like task, we found behavioral evidence that action elements (strokes) exhibit three critical features indicating an underlying symbolic representation: (i) invariance over low-level motor parameters; (ii) categorical structure, reflecting discrete types of action; and (iii) recombination into novel sequences. In simultaneous neural recordings across motor, premotor, and prefrontal cortex, we found that planning-related population activity in ventral premotor cortex (PMv) encodes actions in a manner that, like behavior, reflects motor invariance, categorical structure, and recombination. Activity in no other recorded area exhibited these three properties of symbols. These findings reveal a neural representation of action symbols localized to PMv, and therefore identify a putative neural substrate for symbolic cognitive operations.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Center for Brains, Minds and Machines, Cambridge, MA, USA. ltian@rockefeller.edu",
    "Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA. ltian@rockefeller.edu",
    "The Price Family Center for the Social Brain, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA. ltian@rockefeller.edu",
    "Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA",
    "Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA",
    "Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA",
    "Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK",
    "Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA",
    "Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA",
    "Center for Brains, Minds and Machines, Cambridge, MA, USA",
    "Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA",
    "Center for Brains, Minds and Machines, Cambridge, MA, USA. wfreiwald@rockefeller.edu",
    "Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA. wfreiwald@rockefeller.edu",
    "The Price Family Center for the Social Brain, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA. wfreiwald@rockefeller.edu"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Lucas Y Tian",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7346-7360"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Kedar Garzón Gupta",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-1289-7570"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Daniel J. Hanuska"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Adam G. Rouse",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3785-1442"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Mark A. G. Eldridge",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4292-6832"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Marc H. Schieber",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4315-8161"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Xiao‐Jing Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3124-8474"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Joshua B. Tenenbaum",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1925-2035"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11,
        12,
        13
      ],
      "name": "Winrich A. Freiwald",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8456-5030"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6tj6dykxxekck.bib",
  "cited_by": 15,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41586-026-10297-x",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6tj6dykxxekck",
  "issns": [
    "0028-0836",
    "1476-4687"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10297-x",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Motor Control and Adaptation"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4408230066",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC11908170",
  "pmid": "40093053",
  "published": "2026-05-20",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6tj6dykxxekck.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:26:53Z",
      "native_id": "W4408230066",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10297-x"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2805|Motor Control and Adaptation",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Neural representation of action symbols in primate frontal cortex",
  "title_text": "Neural representation of action symbols in primate frontal cortex",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:12Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6tj6dykxxekck",
  "venue": "Nature",
  "versions": []
}