1
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Hallquist MN, Hwang K, Luna B, Dombrovski AY. Reward-based option competition in human dorsal stream and transition from stochastic exploration to exploitation in continuous space. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj2219. [PMID: 38394198 PMCID: PMC10889364 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj2219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Primates exploring and exploiting a continuous sensorimotor space rely on dynamic maps in the dorsal stream. Two complementary perspectives exist on how these maps encode rewards. Reinforcement learning models integrate rewards incrementally over time, efficiently resolving the exploration/exploitation dilemma. Working memory buffer models explain rapid plasticity of parietal maps but lack a plausible exploration/exploitation policy. The reinforcement learning model presented here unifies both accounts, enabling rapid, information-compressing map updates and efficient transition from exploration to exploitation. As predicted by our model, activity in human frontoparietal dorsal stream regions, but not in MT+, tracks the number of competing options, as preferred options are selectively maintained on the map, while spatiotemporally distant alternatives are compressed out. When valuable new options are uncovered, posterior β1/α oscillations desynchronize within 0.4 to 0.7 s, consistent with option encoding by competing β1-stabilized subpopulations. Together, outcomes matching locally cached reward representations rapidly update parietal maps, biasing choices toward often-sampled, rewarded options.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kai Hwang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Beatriz Luna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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2
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Aboutorabi E, Baloni Ray S, Kaping D, Shahbazi F, Treue S, Esghaei M. Phase of neural oscillations as a reference frame for attention-based routing in visual cortex. Prog Neurobiol 2024; 233:102563. [PMID: 38142770 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Selective attention allows the brain to efficiently process the image projected onto the retina, selectively focusing neural processing resources on behaviorally relevant visual information. While previous studies have documented the crucial role of the action potential rate of single neurons in relaying such information, little is known about how the activity of single neurons relative to their neighboring network contributes to the efficient representation of attended stimuli and transmission of this information to downstream areas. Here, we show in the dorsal visual pathway of monkeys (medial superior temporal area) that neurons fire spikes preferentially at a specific phase of the ongoing population beta (∼20 Hz) oscillations of the surrounding local network. This preferred spiking phase shifts towards a later phase when monkeys selectively attend towards (rather than away from) the receptive field of the neuron. This shift of the locking phase is positively correlated with the speed at which animals report a visual change. Furthermore, our computational modeling suggests that neural networks can manipulate the preferred phase of coupling by imposing differential synaptic delays on postsynaptic potentials. This distinction between the locking phase of neurons activated by the spatially attended stimulus vs. that of neurons activated by the unattended stimulus, may enable the neural system to discriminate relevant from irrelevant sensory inputs and consequently filter out distracting stimuli information by aligning the spikes which convey relevant/irrelevant information to distinct phases linked to periods of better/worse perceptual sensitivity for higher cortices. This strategy may be used to reserve the narrow windows of highest perceptual efficacy to the processing of the most behaviorally relevant information, ensuring highly efficient responses to attended sensory events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Aboutorabi
- Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sonia Baloni Ray
- Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, New Delhi, India
| | - Daniel Kaping
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Farhad Shahbazi
- Department of Physics, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Stefan Treue
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany; Faculty for Biology and Psychology, University of Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Moein Esghaei
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany; Westa Higher Education Center, Karaj, Iran.
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3
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Parto-Dezfouli M, Vezoli J, Bosman CA, Fries P. Enhanced behavioral performance through interareal gamma and beta synchronization. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113249. [PMID: 37837620 PMCID: PMC10679823 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive functioning requires coordination between brain areas. Between visual areas, feedforward gamma synchronization improves behavioral performance. Here, we investigate whether similar principles hold across brain regions and frequency bands, using simultaneous electrocorticographic recordings from 15 areas of two macaque monkeys during performance of a selective attention task. Short behavioral reaction times (RTs), suggesting efficient interareal communication, occurred when occipital areas V1, V2, V4, and DP showed gamma synchronization, and fronto-central areas S1, 5, F1, F2, and F4 showed beta synchronization. For both area clusters and corresponding frequency bands, deviations from the typically observed phase relations increased RTs. Across clusters and frequency bands, good phase relations occurred in a correlated manner specifically when they processed the behaviorally relevant stimulus. Furthermore, the fronto-central cluster exerted a beta-band influence onto the occipital cluster whose strength predicted short RTs. These results suggest that local gamma and beta synchronization and their inter-regional coordination jointly improve behavioral performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Parto-Dezfouli
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Julien Vezoli
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Conrado Arturo Bosman
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pascal Fries
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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4
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Dubey A, Markowitz DA, Pesaran B. Top-down control of exogenous attentional selection is mediated by beta coherence in prefrontal cortex. Neuron 2023; 111:3321-3334.e5. [PMID: 37499660 PMCID: PMC10935562 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Salience-driven exogenous and goal-driven endogenous attentional selection are two distinct forms of attention that guide selection of task-irrelevant and task-relevant targets in primates. Top-down attentional control mechanisms enable selection of the task-relevant target by limiting the influence of sensory information. Although the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is known to mediate top-down control, the neuronal mechanisms of top-down control of attentional selection are poorly understood. Here, we trained two rhesus monkeys on a two-target, free-choice luminance-reward selection task. We demonstrate that visual-movement (VM) neurons and nonvisual neurons or movement neurons encode exogenous and endogenous selection. We then show that coherent beta activity selectively modulates mechanisms of exogenous selection specifically during conflict and consequently may support top-down control. These results reveal the VM-neuron-specific network mechanisms of attentional selection and suggest a functional role for beta-frequency coherent neural dynamics in the modulation of sensory communication channels for the top-down control of attentional selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agrita Dubey
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - David A Markowitz
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Bijan Pesaran
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; Departments of Neurosurgery, Neuroscience, and Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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5
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Xiong YS, Donoghue JA, Lundqvist M, Mahnke M, Major AJ, Brown EN, Miller EK, Bastos AM. Propofol-mediated loss of consciousness disrupts predictive routing and local field phase modulation of neural activity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.02.555990. [PMID: 37732234 PMCID: PMC10508719 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.02.555990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Predictive coding is a fundamental function of the cortex. The predictive routing model proposes a neurophysiological implementation for predictive coding. Predictions are fed back from deep-layer cortex via alpha/beta (8-30Hz) oscillations. They inhibit the gamma (40-100Hz) and spiking that feed sensory inputs forward. Unpredicted inputs arrive in circuits unprepared by alpha/beta, resulting in enhanced gamma and spiking. To test the predictive routing model and its role in consciousness, we collected data from intracranial recordings of macaque monkeys during passive presentation of auditory oddballs (e.g., AAAAB) before and after propofol-mediated loss of consciousness (LOC). In line with the predictive routing model, alpha/beta oscillations in the awake state served to inhibit the processing of predictable stimuli. Propofol-mediated LOC eliminated alpha/beta modulation by a predictable stimulus in sensory cortex and alpha/beta coherence between sensory and frontal areas. As a result, oddball stimuli evoked enhanced gamma power, late (> 200 ms from stimulus onset) period spiking, and superficial layer sinks in sensory cortex. Therefore, auditory cortex was in a disinhibited state during propofol-mediated LOC. However, despite these enhanced feedforward responses in auditory cortex, there was a loss of differential spiking to oddballs in higher order cortex. This may be a consequence of a loss of within-area and inter-area spike-field coupling in the alpha/beta and gamma frequency bands. These results provide strong constraints for current theories of consciousness. Significance statement Neurophysiology studies have found alpha/beta oscillations (8-30Hz), gamma oscillations (40-100Hz), and spiking activity during cognition. Alpha/beta power has an inverse relationship with gamma power/spiking. This inverse relationship suggests that gamma/spiking are under the inhibitory control of alpha/beta. The predictive routing model hypothesizes that alpha/beta oscillations selectively inhibit (and thereby control) cortical activity that is predictable. We tested whether this inhibitory control is a signature of consciousness. We used multi-area neurophysiology recordings in monkeys presented with tone sequences that varied in predictability. We recorded brain activity as the anesthetic propofol was administered to manipulate consciousness. Compared to conscious processing, propofol-mediated unconsciousness disrupted alpha/beta inhibitory control during predictive processing. This led to a disinhibition of gamma/spiking, consistent with the predictive routing model.
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6
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Comeaux P, Clark K, Noudoost B. A recruitment through coherence theory of working memory. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 228:102491. [PMID: 37393039 PMCID: PMC10530428 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between prefrontal cortex and other areas during working memory have been studied for decades. Here we outline a conceptual framework describing interactions between these areas during working memory, and review evidence for key elements of this model. We specifically suggest that a top-down signal sent from prefrontal to sensory areas drives oscillations in these areas. Spike timing within sensory areas becomes locked to these working-memory-driven oscillations, and the phase of spiking conveys information about the representation available within these areas. Downstream areas receiving these phase-locked spikes from sensory areas can recover this information via a combination of coherent oscillations and gating of input efficacy based on the phase of their local oscillations. Although the conceptual framework is based on prefrontal interactions with sensory areas during working memory, we also discuss the broader implications of this framework for flexible communication between brain areas in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Comeaux
- Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, 36 S. Wasatch Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, 65 Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Kelsey Clark
- Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, 65 Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Behrad Noudoost
- Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, 65 Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.
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7
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Yao T, Vanduffel W. Spike rates of frontal eye field neurons predict reaction times in a spatial attention task. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112384. [PMID: 37043349 PMCID: PMC10157294 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Which neuronal signal(s) predict reaction times when subjects respond to a target at covertly attended locations? Although recent studies showed that spike rates are not predictive, it remains a highly contested question. Therefore, we record single-unit activity from frontal eye field (FEF) neurons while macaques are performing a covert spatial attention task. We find that the attentional modulation of spike rates of FEF neurons is strongly correlated with behavioral reaction times. Moreover, this correlation already emerges 1 s before target dimming, which triggers the behavioral responses. This prediction of reaction times by spike rates is found in neurons showing attention-dependent enhanced and suppressed activity for targets and distractors, respectively, yet in varying degrees across subjects. Thus, spike rates of FEF neurons can predict reaction times persistently and well before the operant behavior during selective attention tasks. Such long prediction windows will be useful for developing spike-based brain-machine interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Yao
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory of Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven Medical School, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Wim Vanduffel
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory of Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven Medical School, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02144, USA.
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8
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Sachse EM, Snyder AC. Dynamic attention signalling in V4: Relation to fast-spiking/non-fast-spiking cell class and population coupling. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:918-939. [PMID: 36732934 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The computational role of a neuron during attention depends on its firing properties, neurotransmitter expression and functional connectivity. Neurons in the visual cortical area V4 are reliably engaged by selective attention but exhibit diversity in the effect of attention on firing rates and correlated variability. It remains unclear what specific neuronal properties shape these attention effects. In this study, we quantitatively characterised the distribution of attention modulation of firing rates across populations of V4 neurons. Neurons exhibited a continuum of time-varying attention effects. At one end of the continuum, neurons' spontaneous firing rates were slightly depressed with attention (compared to when unattended), whereas their stimulus responses were enhanced with attention. The other end of the continuum showed the converse pattern: attention depressed stimulus responses but increased spontaneous activity. We tested whether the particular pattern of time-varying attention effects that a neuron exhibited was related to the shape of their actions potentials (so-called 'fast-spiking' [FS] neurons have been linked to inhibition) and the strength of their coupling to the overall population. We found an interdependence among neural attention effects, neuron type and population coupling. In particular, we found neurons for which attention enhanced spontaneous activity but suppressed stimulus responses were less likely to be fast-spiking (more likely to be non-fast-spiking) and tended to have stronger population coupling, compared to neurons with other types of attention effects. These results add important information to our understanding of visual attention circuits at the cellular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Sachse
- Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Adam C Snyder
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.,Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.,Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
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9
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Eckert MA, Iuricich F, Harris KC, Hamlett ED, Vazey EM, Aston-Jones G. Locus coeruleus and dorsal cingulate morphology contributions to slowed processing speed. Neuropsychologia 2023; 179:108449. [PMID: 36528219 PMCID: PMC9906468 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Slowed information processing speed is a defining feature of cognitive aging. Nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) and medial prefrontal regions are targets for understanding slowed processing speed because these brain regions influence neural and behavioral response latencies through their roles in optimizing task performance. Although structural measures of medial prefrontal cortex have been consistently related to processing speed, it is unclear if 1) declines in LC structure underlie this association because of reciprocal connections between LC and medial prefrontal cortex, or 2) if LC declines provide a separate explanation for age-related changes in processing speed. LC and medial prefrontal structural measures were predicted to explain age-dependent individual differences in processing speed in a cross-sectional sample of 43 adults (19-79 years; 63% female). Higher turbo-spin echo LC contrast, based on a persistent homology measure, and greater dorsal cingulate cortical thickness were significantly and each uniquely related to faster processing speed. However, only dorsal cingulate cortical thickness appeared to statistically mediate age-related differences in processing speed. The results suggest that individual differences in cognitive processing speed can be attributed, in part, to structural variation in nucleus LC and medial prefrontal cortex, with the latter key to understanding why older adults exhibit slowed processing speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Eckert
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA.
| | - Federico Iuricich
- Visual Computing Division, School of Computing, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., 29634, USA
| | - Kelly C Harris
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Eric D Hamlett
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003-9297, USA
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University/Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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10
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Dubey A, Markowitz DA, Pesaran B. Top-down control of exogenous attentional selection is mediated by beta coherence in prefrontal cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.11.523664. [PMID: 36711697 PMCID: PMC9882082 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.11.523664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Salience-driven exogenous and goal-driven endogenous attentional selection are two distinct forms of attention that guide selection of task-irrelevant and task-relevant targets in primates. During conflict i.e, when salience and goal each favor the selection of different targets, endogenous selection of the task-relevant target relies on top-down control. Top-down attentional control mechanisms enable selection of the task-relevant target by limiting the influence of sensory information. Although the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is known to mediate top-down control, the neuronal mechanisms of top-down control of attentional selection are poorly understood. Here, using a two-target free-choice luminance-reward selection task, we demonstrate that visual-movement neurons and not visual neurons or movement neurons encode exogenous and endogenous selection. We then show that coherent-beta activity selectively modulates mechanisms of exogenous selection specifically during conflict and consequently may support top-down control. These results reveal the VM-neuron-specific network mechanisms of attentional selection and suggest a functional role for beta-frequency coherent neural dynamics in the modulation of sensory communication channels for the top-down control of attentional selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agrita Dubey
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York 10003
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
| | | | - Bijan Pesaran
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York 10003
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
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11
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Higley MJ, Cardin JA. Spatiotemporal dynamics in large-scale cortical networks. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 77:102627. [PMID: 36115252 PMCID: PMC10618958 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Investigating links between nervous system function and behavior requires monitoring neuronal activity at a range of spatial and temporal scales. Here, we summarize recent progress in applying two distinct but complementary approaches to the study of network dynamics in the neocortex. Mesoscopic calcium imaging allows simultaneous monitoring of activity across most of the cortex at moderate spatiotemporal resolution. Electrophysiological recordings provide extremely high temporal resolution of neural signals at multiple targeted locations. A number of recent studies have used these tools to reveal novel patterns of activity across distributed cortical subnetworks. This growing body of work strongly supports the hypothesis that the dynamic coordination of spatially distinct regions is a fundamental aspect of cortical function that supports cognition and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Higley
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jessica A Cardin
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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12
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Fiebelkorn IC. There Is More Evidence of Rhythmic Attention than Can Be Found in Behavioral Studies: Perspective on Brookshire, 2022. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 35:128-134. [PMID: 36306250 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Recent research indicates periodicity in attention-related sampling and switching, with some of the initial findings coming from behavioral studies. Brookshire [Brookshire, G. Putative rhythms in attentional switching can be explained by aperiodic temporal structure. Nature Human Behaviour, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01364-0], points out that widely used approaches to testing for rhythms in behavioral times series can misclassify consistent aperiodic patterns in temporal structure as periodic patterns. Evidence for rhythmic attention, however, is not limited to behavioral data. Here, I briefly discuss (i) issues with differentiating periodic and aperiodic structure in both behavioral and neural time series, (ii) findings from neural data that are consistent with rhythmic sampling and switching during attentional deployment, and (iii) whether alternative approaches to establishing periodicity in behavioral time series, recommended by Brookshire are appropriate for this particular research topic.
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13
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Anil Meera A, Novicky F, Parr T, Friston K, Lanillos P, Sajid N. Reclaiming saliency: Rhythmic precision-modulated action and perception. Front Neurorobot 2022; 16:896229. [PMID: 35966370 PMCID: PMC9368584 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2022.896229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Computational models of visual attention in artificial intelligence and robotics have been inspired by the concept of a saliency map. These models account for the mutual information between the (current) visual information and its estimated causes. However, they fail to consider the circular causality between perception and action. In other words, they do not consider where to sample next, given current beliefs. Here, we reclaim salience as an active inference process that relies on two basic principles: uncertainty minimization and rhythmic scheduling. For this, we make a distinction between attention and salience. Briefly, we associate attention with precision control, i.e., the confidence with which beliefs can be updated given sampled sensory data, and salience with uncertainty minimization that underwrites the selection of future sensory data. Using this, we propose a new account of attention based on rhythmic precision-modulation and discuss its potential in robotics, providing numerical experiments that showcase its advantages for state and noise estimation, system identification and action selection for informative path planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajith Anil Meera
- Department of Cognitive Robotics, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Ajith Anil Meera
| | - Filip Novicky
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Filip Novicky
| | - Thomas Parr
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pablo Lanillos
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Noor Sajid
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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14
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Schmid RR, Pomper U, Ansorge U. Cyclic reactivation of distinct feature dimensions in human visual working memory. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2022; 226:103561. [PMID: 35316710 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Several recent behavioral studies have observed 4-10 Hz rhythmic fluctuations in attention-related performance over time. So far, this rhythmic attentional sampling has predominantly been demonstrated with regards to external visual attention, directed toward one single feature dimension. Whether and how attention might sample from concurrent internal representations of different feature dimensions held in working memory (WM) is currently largely unknown. To elucidate this issue, we conducted a human behavioral dense-sampling experiment, in which participants had to hold representations of two distinct feature dimensions (color and orientation) in WM. By querying the contents of WM at 72 time-points after encoding, we estimated the activity time course of the individual feature representations. Our results demonstrate an oscillatory component at 9.4 Hz in the joint time courses of both representations, presumably reflecting a common early perceptual sampling process in the alpha-frequency range. Furthermore, we observed an oscillatory component at 3.5 Hz in the time course difference between the two representations. This likely corresponds to a later attentional sampling process and indicates that internal representations of distinct features are activated in alteration. In summary, we demonstrate the cyclic reactivation of internal WM representations of distinct feature dimensions, as well as the co-occurrence of behavioral fluctuations at distinct frequencies, presumably associated to internal perceptual- and attentional rhythms. In addition, our findings also challenge a model of strict parallel processing in visual search, thus, providing novel input to the ongoing debate on whether search for more than one target feature constitutes a parallel- or a sequential mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Rosa Schmid
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna.
| | - Ulrich Pomper
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna
| | - Ulrich Ansorge
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna; Cognitive Science Research Hub, University of Vienna; Research Platform Mediatised Lifeworlds, University of Vienna
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15
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Westerberg JA, Sigworth EA, Schall JD, Maier A. Pop-out search instigates beta-gated feature selectivity enhancement across V4 layers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2103702118. [PMID: 34893538 PMCID: PMC8685673 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103702118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual search is a workhorse for investigating how attention interacts with processing of sensory information. Attentional selection has been linked to altered cortical sensory responses and feature preferences (i.e., tuning). However, attentional modulation of feature selectivity during search is largely unexplored. Here we map the spatiotemporal profile of feature selectivity during singleton search. Monkeys performed a search where a pop-out feature determined the target of attention. We recorded laminar neural responses from visual area V4. We first identified "feature columns" which showed preference for individual colors. In the unattended condition, feature columns were significantly more selective in superficial relative to middle and deep layers. Attending a stimulus increased selectivity in all layers but not equally. Feature selectivity increased most in the deep layers, leading to higher selectivity in extragranular layers as compared to the middle layer. This attention-induced enhancement was rhythmically gated in phase with the beta-band local field potential. Beta power dominated both extragranular laminar compartments, but current source density analysis pointed to an origin in superficial layers, specifically. While beta-band power was present regardless of attentional state, feature selectivity was only gated by beta in the attended condition. Neither the beta oscillation nor its gating of feature selectivity varied with microsaccade production. Importantly, beta modulation of neural activity predicted response times, suggesting a direct link between attentional gating and behavioral output. Together, these findings suggest beta-range synaptic activation in V4's superficial layers rhythmically gates attentional enhancement of feature tuning in a way that affects the speed of attentional selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Westerberg
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240;
| | | | - Jeffrey D Schall
- Centre for Vision Research, Vision: Science to Applications Program, Department of Biology and Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Alexander Maier
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240
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Marrero K, Aruljothi K, Zareian B, Gao C, Zhang Z, Zagha E. Global, Low-Amplitude Cortical State Predicts Response Outcomes in a Selective Detection Task in Mice. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:2037-2053. [PMID: 34564725 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous neuronal activity strongly impacts stimulus encoding and behavioral responses. We sought to determine the effects of neocortical prestimulus activity on stimulus detection. We trained mice in a selective whisker detection task, in which they learned to respond (lick) to target stimuli in one whisker field and ignore distractor stimuli in the contralateral whisker field. During expert task performance, we used widefield Ca2+ imaging to assess prestimulus and post-stimulus neuronal activity broadly across frontal and parietal cortices. We found that lower prestimulus activity correlated with enhanced stimulus detection: lower prestimulus activity predicted response versus no response outcomes and faster reaction times. The activity predictive of trial outcome was distributed through dorsal neocortex, rather than being restricted to whisker or licking regions. Using principal component analysis, we demonstrate that response trials are associated with a distinct and less variable prestimulus neuronal subspace. For single units, prestimulus choice probability was weak yet distributed broadly, with lower than chance choice probability correlating with stronger sensory and motor encoding. These findings support low amplitude and low variability as an optimal prestimulus cortical state for stimulus detection that presents globally and predicts response outcomes for both target and distractor stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Marrero
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Krithiga Aruljothi
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Behzad Zareian
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Chengchun Gao
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Zhaoran Zhang
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Edward Zagha
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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Nesse WH, Bahmani Z, Clark K, Noudoost B. Differential Contributions of Inhibitory Subnetwork to Visual Cortical Modulations Identified via Computational Model of Working Memory. Front Comput Neurosci 2021; 15:632730. [PMID: 34093155 PMCID: PMC8173146 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2021.632730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Extrastriate visual neurons show no firing rate change during a working memory (WM) task in the absence of sensory input, but both αβ oscillations and spike phase locking are enhanced, as is the gain of sensory responses. This lack of change in firing rate is at odds with many models of WM, or attentional modulation of sensory networks. In this article we devised a computational model in which this constellation of results can be accounted for via selective activation of inhibitory subnetworks by a top-down working memory signal. We confirmed the model prediction of selective inhibitory activation by segmenting cells in the experimental neural data into putative excitatory and inhibitory cells. We further found that this inhibitory activation plays a dual role in influencing excitatory cells: it both modulates the inhibitory tone of the network, which underlies the enhanced sensory gain, and also produces strong spike-phase entrainment to emergent network oscillations. Using a phase oscillator model we were able to show that inhibitory tone is principally modulated through inhibitory network gain saturation, while the phase-dependent efficacy of inhibitory currents drives the phase locking modulation. The dual contributions of the inhibitory subnetwork to oscillatory and non-oscillatory modulations of neural activity provides two distinct ways for WM to recruit sensory areas, and has relevance to theories of cortical communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H Nesse
- Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Zahra Bahmani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kelsey Clark
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Behrad Noudoost
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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18
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Wolpert N, Tallon-Baudry C. Coupling between the phase of a neural oscillation or bodily rhythm with behavior: Evaluation of different statistical procedures. Neuroimage 2021; 236:118050. [PMID: 33848619 PMCID: PMC8270889 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Circular tests are differentially sensitive to different coupling modes. The Watson test is a good all-rounder method. Phase Opposition Sum is robust to imbalances in relative trial number. Modulation Index detects more complex phase-behavior relationships.
Growing experimental evidence points at relationships between the phase of a cortical or bodily oscillation and behavior, using various circular statistical tests. Here, we systematically compare the performance (sensitivity, False Positive rate) of four circular statistical tests (some commonly used, i.e. Phase Opposition Sum, Circular Logistic Regression, others less common, i.e., Watson test, Modulation Index). We created semi-artificial datasets mimicking real two-alternative forced choice experiments with 30 participants, where we imposed a link between a simulated binary behavioral outcome with the phase of a physiological oscillation. We systematically varied the strength of phase-outcome coupling, the coupling mode (1:1 to 4:1), the overall number of trials and the relative number of trials in the two outcome conditions. We evaluated different strategies to estimate phase-outcome coupling chance level, as well as significance at the individual or group level. The results show that the Watson test, although seldom used in the experimental literature, is an excellent first intention test, with a good sensitivity and low False Positive rate, some sensitivity to 2:1 coupling mode and low computational load. Modulation Index, initially designed for continuous variables but that we find useful to estimate coupling between phase and a binary outcome, should be preferred if coupling mode is higher than 2:1. Phase Opposition Sum, coupled with a resampling procedure, is the only test retaining a good sensitivity in the case of a large unbalance in the number of occurrences of the two behavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolai Wolpert
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Inserm u960, PSL University, 24 rue Lhomond, Paris 75005, France.
| | - Catherine Tallon-Baudry
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Inserm u960, PSL University, 24 rue Lhomond, Paris 75005, France
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Womelsdorf T. Translating Expectation into Visual Selection through a Beta-Synchronous Fronto-Parietal Neural Subnetwork. Neuron 2021; 109:8-10. [PMID: 33412097 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Top-down expectancy critically determines how fast sensory inputs are processed. Fiebelkorn & Kastner show that translating expectancy into fast stimulus processing is mediated by a subnetwork of beta-synchronized neurons across the fronto-parietal attention network. This finding suggests that precise spike timing determines how efficient fronto-parietal activity selects visual inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thilo Womelsdorf
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA.
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