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Sousa T, Sayal A, Duarte JV, Costa GN, Castelo-Branco M. A human cortical adaptive mutual inhibition circuit underlying competition for perceptual decision and repetition suppression reversal. Neuroimage 2024; 285:120488. [PMID: 38065278 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120488] [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: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
A model based on inhibitory coupling has been proposed to explain perceptual oscillations. This 'adapting reciprocal inhibition' model postulates that it is the strength of inhibitory coupling that determines the fate of competition between percepts. Here, we used an fMRI-based adaptation technique to reveal the influence of neighboring neuronal populations, such as reciprocal inhibition, in motion-selective hMT+/V5. If reciprocal inhibition exists in this region, the following predictions should hold: 1. stimulus-driven response would not simply decrease, as predicted by simple repetition-suppression of neuronal populations, but instead, increase due to the activity from adjacent populations; 2. perceptual decision involving competing representations, should reflect decreased reciprocal inhibition by adaptation; 3. neural activity for the competing percept should also later on increase upon adaptation. Our results confirm these three predictions, showing that a model of perceptual decision based on adapting reciprocal inhibition holds true. Finally, they also show that the net effect of the well-known repetition suppression phenomenon can be reversed by this mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Sousa
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Portugal; Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Alexandre Sayal
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Portugal; Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Portugal; Siemens Healthineers, Portugal
| | - João V Duarte
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Portugal; Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Gabriel N Costa
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Portugal; Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel Castelo-Branco
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Portugal; Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Maastricht, the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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2
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Zhang X, Tan Q, Mu H. Flying enhances viewing from above bias on ambiguous visual stimuli. J Vis 2023; 23:11. [PMID: 37335570 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.6.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The human spatial orientation system is well designed on the ground but is imperfect in the aeronautical three-dimensional (3D) environment. However, human perception systems perform Bayesian statistics based on encountered environments and form shortcuts to improve perceptual efficiency. It is unknown whether our perception of spatial orientation is modified by flying experience and forms perceptual biases. The current study tested pilot perceptual biases on ambiguous visual stimuli, the bistable point-light walkers, and found that flying experiences increased the pilot's tendency to perceive himself as higher than the target and the target as farther away from them. Such perceptual effects due to flight are likely to be attributed to experience of variable vestibular state in a higher position in 3D space, rather than the experience of a higher viewpoint. Our findings suggest that flying experience will modifies our visual perceptual biases, and that more attention should be paid to the enhanced viewing from above bias when flying to avoid overestimating altitude or viewing angle when the visual conditions are ambiguous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhang
- Institute of Aviation Human Factors and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Aviation Psychology, Flight Technology College, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan, China
| | - Qilong Tan
- Institute of Aviation Human Factors and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Aviation Psychology, Flight Technology College, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan, China
| | - Haiying Mu
- Institute of Aviation Human Factors and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Aviation Psychology, Flight Technology College, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan, China
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3
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Bachmann T. Within-object element ambiguity allows for a strange illusion of alternating facial expression and structure. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:956036. [DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.956036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Toppino TC. Reversible-figure perception: Why is voluntary control limited? Perception 2022; 51:624-638. [PMID: 35833335 DOI: 10.1177/03010066221109990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Observers can voluntarily avoid reversals of an ambiguous, reversible figure, extending the duration of an intended percept. This is usually attributed to high-level, top-down attentional processes. However, voluntary control is limited. Reversals occur despite attempts to avoid them. In two experiments, observers demonstrated significant, but limited, voluntary control over Necker cube perception. Cube size and cube completeness, variables associated with stimulus-driven processes involving neural adaptation, influenced the frequency of reversals regardless of observers' intentions. Results are consistent with the hybrid hypothesis that both top-down and bottom-up processes contribute to Necker-cube perception and support the hypothesis that the contribution of bottom-up processes is responsible for the limitation on voluntary control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Toppino
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 8210Villanova University, United States
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Abstract
Ambiguous figures (aka bistable, multistable, or reversible images) have fascinated scientists as well as laypersons for centuries. It may be surprising indeed how one and the same physical depiction can be experienced in perceptual awareness in cardinally different ways. In the most well-known examples of such illusions of multistability, the phenomenal change relates just to visual organization. Much less common are perceptions of alternating emotional content in the ambiguous visual image. Here, I introduce one such example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talis Bachmann
- Institute of Psychology and School of Law (Tallinn branch), Tallinn, Estonia
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6
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Kornmeier J, Bhatia K, Joos E. Top-down resolution of visual ambiguity - knowledge from the future or footprints from the past? PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258667. [PMID: 34673791 PMCID: PMC8530352 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Current theories about visual perception assume that our perceptual system weights the a priori incomplete, noisy and ambiguous sensory information with previous, memorized perceptual experiences in order to construct stable and reliable percepts. These theories are supported by numerous experimental findings. Theories about precognition have an opposite point of view. They assume that information from the future can have influence on perception, thoughts, and behavior. Several experimental studies provide evidence for precognition effects, other studies found no such effects. One problem may be that the vast majority of precognition paradigms did not systematically control for potential effects from the perceptual history. In the present study, we presented ambiguous Necker cube stimuli and disambiguated cube variants and systematically tested in two separate experiments whether perception of a currently observed ambiguous Necker cube stimulus can be influenced by a disambiguated cube variant, presented in the immediate perceptual past (perceptual history effects) and/or in the immediate perceptual future (precognition effects). We found perceptual history effects, which partly depended on the length of the perceptual history trace but were independent of the perceptual future. Results from some individual participants suggest on the first glance a precognition pattern, but results from our second experiment make a perceptual history explanation more probable. On the group level, no precognition effects were statistically indicated. The perceptual history effects found in the present study are in confirmation with related studies from the literature. The precognition analysis revealed some interesting individual patterns, which however did not allow for general conclusions. Overall, the present study demonstrates that any future experiment about sensory or extrasensory perception urgently needs to control for potential perceptual history effects and that temporal aspects of stimulus presentation are of high relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Kornmeier
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kriti Bhatia
- Experimental Cognitive Science, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ellen Joos
- INSERM U1114, Cognitive Neuropsychology and Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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Weilnhammer V, Fritsch M, Chikermane M, Eckert AL, Kanthak K, Stuke H, Kaminski J, Sterzer P. An active role of inferior frontal cortex in conscious experience. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2868-2880.e8. [PMID: 33989530 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the search for the neural correlates of consciousness, it has remained controversial whether prefrontal cortex determines what is consciously experienced or, alternatively, serves only complementary functions, such as introspection or action. Here, we provide converging evidence from computational modeling and two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments that indicated a key role of inferior frontal cortex in detecting perceptual conflicts caused by ambiguous sensory information. Crucially, the detection of perceptual conflicts by prefrontal cortex turned out to be critical in the process of transforming ambiguous sensory information into unambiguous conscious experiences: in a third experiment, disruption of neural activity in inferior frontal cortex through transcranial magnetic stimulation slowed down the updating of conscious experience that occurs in response to perceptual conflicts. These findings show that inferior frontal cortex actively contributes to the resolution of perceptual ambiguities. Prefrontal cortex is thus causally involved in determining the contents of conscious experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veith Weilnhammer
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrück Center, 10178 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Merve Fritsch
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Meera Chikermane
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Eckert
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Kanthak
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Heiner Stuke
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrück Center, 10178 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jakob Kaminski
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrück Center, 10178 Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrück Center, 10178 Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
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Intaitė M, Georgescu AL, Noreika V, von Saldern MA, Vogeley K, Falter-Wagner CM. Adults with autism spectrum condition have atypical perception of ambiguous figures when bottom-up and top-down interactions are incongruous. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2018; 23:1133-1142. [PMID: 30288989 DOI: 10.1177/1362361318782221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We examined the perception of an ambiguous squares stimulus evoking bistable perception in a sample of 31 individuals with autistic spectrum condition and 22 matched typical adults. The perception of the ambiguous figure was manipulated by adaptation to unambiguous figures and/or by placing the ambiguous figure into a context of unambiguous figures. This resulted in four conditions testing the independent and combined (congruent and incongruent) manipulations of adaptation (bottom-up) and spatial context (top-down) effects. The strength of perception, as measured by perception of the first reported orientation of the ambiguous stimulus, was affected comparably between groups. Nevertheless, the strength of perception, as measured by perceptual durations, was affected differently between groups: the perceptual effect was strongest for the autistic spectrum condition group when combined bottom-up and top-down conditions were congruent. In contrast, the strength of the perceptual effect in response to the same condition in the typical adults group was comparable to the adaptation, but stronger than both the context and the incongruent combined bottom-up and top-down conditions. Furthermore, the context condition was stronger than the incongruent combined bottom-up and top-down conditions for the typical adults group. Thus, our findings support the view of stimulus-specific top-down modulation in autistic spectrum condition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Kai Vogeley
- 3 University Hospital of Cologne, Germany.,6 Research Center Jülich, Germany
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Liaci E, Fischer A, Atmanspacher H, Heinrichs M, Tebartz van Elst L, Kornmeier J. Positive and negative hysteresis effects for the perception of geometric and emotional ambiguities. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202398. [PMID: 30256789 PMCID: PMC6157843 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM The present study utilizes perceptual hysteresis effects to compare the ambiguity of Mona Lisa's emotional face expression (high-level ambiguity) and of geometric cube stimuli (low-level ambiguity). METHODS In two experiments we presented series of nine Mona Lisa variants and nine cube variants. Stimulus ambiguity was manipulated by changing Mona Lisa's mouth curvature (Exp. 1) and the cubes' back-layer luminance (Exp. 2). Each experiment consisted of three conditions, two with opposite stimulus presentation sequences with increasing and decreasing degrees of ambiguity, respectively, and a third condition with a random presentation sequence. Participants indicated happy or sad face percepts (Exp. 1) and alternative 3D cube percepts (Exp. 2) by key presses. We studied the influences of a priori perceptual biases (long-term memory) and presentation order (short-term memory) on perception. RESULTS Perception followed sigmoidal functions of the stimulus ambiguity morphing parameters. The morphing parameter for the functions' inflection points depended strongly on stimulus presentation order with similar effect sizes but different signs for the two stimulus types (positive hysteresis / priming for the cubes; negative hysteresis / adaptation for Mona Lisa). In the random conditions, the inflection points were located in the middle between those from the two directional conditions for the Mona Lisa stimuli. For the cube stimuli, they were superimposed on one sigmoidal function for the ordered condition. DISCUSSION The hysteresis effects reflect the influence of short-term memory during the perceptual disambiguation of ambiguous sensory information. The effects for the two stimulus types are of similar size, explaining up to 34% of the perceptual variance introduced by the paradigm. We explain the qualitative difference between positive and negative hysteresis with adaptation for Mona Lisa and with priming for the cubes. In addition, the hysteresis paradigm allows a quantitative determination of the impact of adaptation and priming during the resolution of perceptual ambiguities. The asymmetric shifts of inflection points in the case of the cube stimuli is likely due to an a priori perceptual bias, reflecting an influence of long-term memory. Whether corresponding influences also exist for the Mona Lisa variants is so far unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Liaci
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department for Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Fischer
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Harald Atmanspacher
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Collegium Helveticum, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Markus Heinrichs
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department for Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kornmeier
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department for Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Liaci E, Fischer A, Heinrichs M, van Elst LT, Kornmeier J. Mona Lisa is always happy - and only sometimes sad. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43511. [PMID: 28281547 PMCID: PMC5345090 DOI: 10.1038/srep43511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The worldwide fascination of da Vinci's Mona Lisa has been dedicated to the emotional ambiguity of her face expression. In the present study we manipulated Mona Lisa's mouth curvature as one potential source of ambiguity and studied how a range of happier and sadder face variants influences perception. In two experimental conditions we presented different stimulus ranges with different step sizes between stimuli along the happy-sad axis of emotional face expressions. Stimuli were presented in random order and participants indicated the perceived emotional face expression (first task) and the confidence of their response (second task). The probability of responding 'happy' to the original Mona Lisa was close to 100%. Furthermore, in both conditions the perceived happiness of Mona Lisa variants described sigmoidal functions of the mouth curvature. Participants' confidence was weakest around the sigmoidal inflection points. Remarkably, the sigmoidal functions, as well as confidence values and reaction times, differed significantly between experimental conditions. Finally, participants responded generally faster to happy than to sad faces. Overall, the original Mona Lisa seems to be less ambiguous than expected. However, perception of and reaction to the emotional face content is relative and strongly depends on the used stimulus range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Liaci
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Eye Center, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiberg, Germany
- Center for Mental Disorders, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiberg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Fischer
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Markus Heinrichs
- Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiberg, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Center for Mental Disorders, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiberg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kornmeier
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Eye Center, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiberg, Germany
- Center for Mental Disorders, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiberg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany
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Abstract
Biology is the study of dynamical systems. Yet most of us working in biology have limited pedagogical training in the theory of dynamical systems, an unfortunate historical fact that can be remedied for future generations of life scientists. In my particular field of systems neuroscience, neural circuits are rife with nonlinearities at all levels of description, rendering simple methodologies and our own intuition unreliable. Therefore, our ideas are likely to be wrong unless informed by good models. These models should be based on the mathematical theories of dynamical systems since functioning neurons are dynamic—they change their membrane potential and firing rates with time. Thus, selecting the appropriate type of dynamical system upon which to base a model is an important first step in the modeling process. This step all too easily goes awry, in part because there are many frameworks to choose from, in part because the sparsely sampled data can be consistent with a variety of dynamical processes, and in part because each modeler has a preferred modeling approach that is difficult to move away from. This brief review summarizes some of the main dynamical paradigms that can arise in neural circuits, with comments on what they can achieve computationally and what signatures might reveal their presence within empirical data. I provide examples of different dynamical systems using simple circuits of two or three cells, emphasizing that any one connectivity pattern is compatible with multiple, diverse functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Miller
- Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, 02454-9110, USA
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