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Sandhaeger F, Omejc N, Pape AA, Siegel M. Abstract perceptual choice signals during action-linked decisions in the human brain. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002324. [PMID: 37816222 PMCID: PMC10564462 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans can make abstract choices independent of motor actions. However, in laboratory tasks, choices are typically reported with an associated action. Consequentially, knowledge about the neural representation of abstract choices is sparse, and choices are often thought to evolve as motor intentions. Here, we show that in the human brain, perceptual choices are represented in an abstract, motor-independent manner, even when they are directly linked to an action. We measured MEG signals while participants made choices with known or unknown motor response mapping. Using multivariate decoding, we quantified stimulus, perceptual choice, and motor response information with distinct cortical distributions. Choice representations were invariant to whether the response mapping was known during stimulus presentation, and they occupied a distinct representational space from motor signals. As expected from an internal decision variable, they were informed by the stimuli, and their strength predicted decision confidence and accuracy. Our results demonstrate abstract neural choice signals that generalize to action-linked decisions, suggesting a general role of an abstract choice stage in human decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Sandhaeger
- Department of Neural Dynamics and Magnetoencephalography, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nina Omejc
- Department of Neural Dynamics and Magnetoencephalography, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anna-Antonia Pape
- Department of Neural Dynamics and Magnetoencephalography, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Markus Siegel
- Department of Neural Dynamics and Magnetoencephalography, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Tübingen, Germany
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Wu YH, Velenosi LA, Blankenburg F. Response modality-dependent categorical choice representations for vibrotactile comparisons. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117592. [PMID: 33248258 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous electrophysiological studies in monkeys and humans suggest that premotor regions are the primary loci for the encoding of perceptual choices during vibrotactile comparisons. However, these studies employed paradigms wherein choices were inextricably linked with the stimulus order and selection of manual movements. It remains largely unknown how vibrotactile choices are represented when they are decoupled from these sensorimotor components of the task. To address this question, we used fMRI-MVPA and a variant of the vibrotactile frequency discrimination task which enabled the isolation of choice-related signals from those related to stimulus order and selection of the manual decision reports. We identified the left contralateral dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and intraparietal sulcus (IPS) as carrying information about vibrotactile choices. Our finding provides empirical evidence for an involvement of the PMd and IPS in vibrotactile decisions that goes above and beyond the coding of stimulus order and specific action selection. Considering findings from recent studies in animals, we speculate that the premotor region likely serves as a temporary storage site for information necessary for the specification of concrete manual movements, while the IPS might be more directly involved in the computation of choice. Moreover, this finding replicates results from our previous work using an oculomotor variant of the task, with the important difference that the informative premotor cluster identified in the previous work was centered in the bilateral frontal eye fields rather than in the PMd. Evidence from these two studies indicates that categorical choices in human vibrotactile comparisons are represented in a response modality-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Hao Wu
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Lisa A Velenosi
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Blankenburg
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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3
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Low Cost MR Compatible Haptic Stimulation with Application to fMRI Neurofeedback. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10110790. [PMID: 33126691 PMCID: PMC7692267 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The most common feedback displays in the fMRI environment are visual, e.g., in which participants try to increase or decrease the level of a thermometer. However, haptic feedback is increasingly valued in computer interaction tasks, particularly for real-time fMRI feedback. fMRI-neurofeedback is a clinical intervention that has not yet taken advantage of this trend. Here we describe a low-cost, user-friendly, MR-compatible system that can provide graded haptic vibrotactile stimulation in an initial application to fMRI neurofeedback. We also present a feasibility demonstration showing that we could successfully set up the system and obtain data in the context of a neurofeedback paradigm. We conclude that vibrotactile stimulation using this low-cost system is a viable method of feedback presentation, and encourage neurofeedback researchers to incorporate this type of feedback into their studies.
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Murd C, Moisa M, Grueschow M, Polania R, Ruff CC. Causal contributions of human frontal eye fields to distinct aspects of decision formation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7317. [PMID: 32355294 PMCID: PMC7193618 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64064-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Several theories propose that perceptual decision making depends on the gradual accumulation of information that provides evidence in favour of one of the choice-options. The outcome of this temporally extended integration process is thought to be categorized into the 'winning' and 'losing' choice-options for action. Neural correlates of corresponding decision formation processes have been observed in various frontal and parietal brain areas, among them the frontal eye-fields (FEF). However, the specific functional role of the FEFs is debated. Recent studies in humans and rodents provide conflicting accounts, proposing that the FEF either accumulate the choice-relevant information or categorize the outcome of such evidence integration into discrete actions. Here, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on humans to interfere with either left or right FEF activity during different timepoints of perceptual decision-formation. Stimulation of either FEF affected performance only when delivered during information integration but not during subsequent categorical choice. However, the patterns of behavioural changes suggest that the left-FEF contributes to general evidence integration, whereas right-FEF may direct spatial attention to the contralateral hemifield. Taken together, our results indicate an FEF involvement in evidence accumulation but not categorization, and suggest hemispheric lateralization for this function in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Murd
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, Zurich, 8006, Switzerland. .,Department of Penal Law, School of Law, University of Tartu, Teatri väljak 3, Tallinn, 10143, Estonia.
| | - Marius Moisa
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, Zurich, 8006, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Grueschow
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, Zurich, 8006, Switzerland
| | - Rafael Polania
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, Zurich, 8006, Switzerland.,Decision Neuroscience Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Rämistrasse 101, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, Zurich, 8006, Switzerland
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Malone PS, Eberhardt SP, Wimmer K, Sprouse C, Klein R, Glomb K, Scholl CA, Bokeria L, Cho P, Deco G, Jiang X, Bernstein LE, Riesenhuber M. Neural mechanisms of vibrotactile categorization. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:3078-3090. [PMID: 30920706 PMCID: PMC6865665 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The grouping of sensory stimuli into categories is fundamental to cognition. Previous research in the visual and auditory systems supports a two-stage processing hierarchy that underlies perceptual categorization: (a) a "bottom-up" perceptual stage in sensory cortices where neurons show selectivity for stimulus features and (b) a "top-down" second stage in higher level cortical areas that categorizes the stimulus-selective input from the first stage. In order to test the hypothesis that the two-stage model applies to the somatosensory system, 14 human participants were trained to categorize vibrotactile stimuli presented to their right forearm. Then, during an fMRI scan, participants actively categorized the stimuli. Representational similarity analysis revealed stimulus selectivity in areas including the left precentral and postcentral gyri, the supramarginal gyrus, and the posterior middle temporal gyrus. Crucially, we identified a single category-selective region in the left ventral precentral gyrus. Furthermore, an estimation of directed functional connectivity delivered evidence for robust top-down connectivity from the second to first stage. These results support the validity of the two-stage model of perceptual categorization for the somatosensory system, suggesting common computational principles and a unified theory of perceptual categorization across the visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick S. Malone
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Silvio P. Eberhardt
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Klaus Wimmer
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication TechnologiesUniversitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
- Centre de Recerca MatemàticaBarcelonaSpain
- Barcelona Graduate School of MathematicsBarcelonaSpain
| | - Courtney Sprouse
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Richard Klein
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Katharina Glomb
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication TechnologiesUniversitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
- Department of RadiologyCentre Hospitalier Universitaire VaudoisLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Clara A. Scholl
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Levan Bokeria
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Philip Cho
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication TechnologiesUniversitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
- Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA)BarcelonaSpain
- Department of NeuropsychologyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- School of Psychological SciencesMonash UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Xiong Jiang
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Lynne E. Bernstein
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Maximilian Riesenhuber
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
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Wu YH, Velenosi LA, Schröder P, Ludwig S, Blankenburg F. Decoding vibrotactile choice independent of stimulus order and saccade selection during sequential comparisons. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:1898-1907. [PMID: 30565343 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Decision-making in the somatosensory domain has been intensively studied using vibrotactile frequency discrimination tasks. Results from human and monkey electrophysiological studies from this line of research suggest that perceptual choices are encoded within a sensorimotor network. These findings, however, rely on experimental settings in which perceptual choices are inextricably linked to sensory and motor components of the task. Here, we devised a novel version of the vibrotactile frequency discrimination task with saccade responses which has the crucial advantage of decoupling perceptual choices from sensory and motor processes. We recorded human fMRI data from 32 participants while they performed the task. Using a whole-brain searchlight multivariate classification technique, we identify the left lateral prefrontal cortex and the oculomotor system, including the bilateral frontal eye fields (FEF) and intraparietal sulci, as representing vibrotactile choices. Moreover, we show that the decoding accuracy of choice information in the right FEF correlates with behavioral performance. Not only are these findings in remarkable agreement with previous work, they also provide novel fMRI evidence for choice coding in human oculomotor regions, which is not limited to saccadic decisions, but pertains to contexts where choices are made in a more abstract form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Hao Wu
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lisa A Velenosi
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pia Schröder
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simon Ludwig
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Blankenburg
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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