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Rafiei F, Shekhar M, Rahnev D. The neural network RTNet exhibits the signatures of human perceptual decision-making. Nat Hum Behav 2024:10.1038/s41562-024-01914-8. [PMID: 38997452 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01914-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Convolutional neural networks show promise as models of biological vision. However, their decision behaviour, including the facts that they are deterministic and use equal numbers of computations for easy and difficult stimuli, differs markedly from human decision-making, thus limiting their applicability as models of human perceptual behaviour. Here we develop a new neural network, RTNet, that generates stochastic decisions and human-like response time (RT) distributions. We further performed comprehensive tests that showed RTNet reproduces all foundational features of human accuracy, RT and confidence and does so better than all current alternatives. To test RTNet's ability to predict human behaviour on novel images, we collected accuracy, RT and confidence data from 60 human participants performing a digit discrimination task. We found that the accuracy, RT and confidence produced by RTNet for individual novel images correlated with the same quantities produced by human participants. Critically, human participants who were more similar to the average human performance were also found to be closer to RTNet's predictions, suggesting that RTNet successfully captured average human behaviour. Overall, RTNet is a promising model of human RTs that exhibits the critical signatures of perceptual decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farshad Rafiei
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Medha Shekhar
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dobromir Rahnev
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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2
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Bahuguna J, Verstynen T, Rubin JE. How cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic subnetworks can shift decision policies to maximize reward rate. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.21.595174. [PMID: 38826315 PMCID: PMC11142098 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.21.595174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
All mammals exhibit flexible decision policies that depend, at least in part, on the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic (CBGT) pathways. Yet understanding how the complex connectivity, dynamics, and plasticity of CBGT circuits translates into experience-dependent shifts of decision policies represents a longstanding challenge in neuroscience. Here we used a computational approach to address this problem. Specifically, we simulated decisions driven by CBGT circuits under baseline, unrewarded conditions using a spiking neural network, and fit the resulting behavior to an evidence accumulation model. Using canonical correlation analysis, we then replicated the existence of three recently identified control ensembles (responsiveness, pliancy and choice) within CBGT circuits, with each ensemble mapping to a specific configuration of the evidence accumulation process. We subsequently simulated learning in a simple two-choice task with one optimal (i.e., rewarded) target. We find that value-based learning, via dopaminergic signals acting on cortico-striatal synapses, effectively manages the speed-accuracy tradeoff so as to increase reward rate over time. Within this process, learning-related changes in decision policy can be decomposed in terms of the contributions of each control ensemble, and these changes are driven by sequential reward prediction errors on individual trials. Our results provide a clear and simple mechanism for how dopaminergic plasticity shifts specific subnetworks within CBGT circuits so as to strategically modulate decision policies in order to maximize effective reward rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyotika Bahuguna
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Timothy Verstynen
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jonathan E Rubin
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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3
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Xie T, Adamek M, Cho H, Adamo MA, Ritaccio AL, Willie JT, Brunner P, Kubanek J. Graded decisions in the human brain. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4308. [PMID: 38773117 PMCID: PMC11109249 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48342-w] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Decision-makers objectively commit to a definitive choice, yet at the subjective level, human decisions appear to be associated with a degree of uncertainty. Whether decisions are definitive (i.e., concluding in all-or-none choices), or whether the underlying representations are graded, remains unclear. To answer this question, we recorded intracranial neural signals directly from the brain while human subjects made perceptual decisions. The recordings revealed that broadband gamma activity reflecting each individual's decision-making process, ramped up gradually while being graded by the accumulated decision evidence. Crucially, this grading effect persisted throughout the decision process without ever reaching a definite bound at the time of choice. This effect was most prominent in the parietal cortex, a brain region traditionally implicated in decision-making. These results provide neural evidence for a graded decision process in humans and an analog framework for flexible choice behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xie
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Markus Adamek
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Hohyun Cho
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Matthew A Adamo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Anthony L Ritaccio
- Department of Neurology, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Jon T Willie
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Peter Brunner
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, 12208, USA.
| | - Jan Kubanek
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
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4
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Sadeghnejad N, Ezoji M, Ebrahimpour R, Qodosi M, Zabbah S. A fully spiking coupled model of a deep neural network and a recurrent attractor explains dynamics of decision making in an object recognition task. J Neural Eng 2024; 21:026011. [PMID: 38506115 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad2d30] [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: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Objective.Object recognition and making a choice regarding the recognized object is pivotal for most animals. This process in the brain contains information representation and decision making steps which both take different amount of times for different objects. While dynamics of object recognition and decision making are usually ignored in object recognition models, here we proposed a fully spiking hierarchical model, explaining the process of object recognition from information representation to making decision.Approach.Coupling a deep neural network and a recurrent attractor based decision making model beside using spike time dependent plasticity learning rules in several convolutional and pooling layers, we proposed a model which can resemble brain behaviors during an object recognition task. We also measured human choices and reaction times in a psychophysical object recognition task and used it as a reference to evaluate the model.Main results.The proposed model explains not only the probability of making a correct decision but also the time that it takes to make a decision. Importantly, neural firing rates in both feature representation and decision making levels mimic the observed patterns in animal studies (number of spikes (p-value < 10-173) and the time of the peak response (p-value < 10-31) are significantly modulated with the strength of the stimulus). Moreover, the speed-accuracy trade-off as a well-known characteristic of decision making process in the brain is also observed in the model (changing the decision bound significantly affect the reaction time (p-value < 10-59) and accuracy (p-value < 10-165)).Significance.We proposed a fully spiking deep neural network which can explain dynamics of making decision about an object in both neural and behavioral level. Results showed that there is a strong and significant correlation (r= 0.57) between the reaction time of the model and of human participants in the psychophysical object recognition task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naser Sadeghnejad
- Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
| | - Mehdi Ezoji
- Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
| | - Reza Ebrahimpour
- Center for Cognitive Science, Institute for Convergence Science and Technology (ICST), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohamad Qodosi
- Department of Computer Engineering, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sajjad Zabbah
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Aging Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Gherman S, Markowitz N, Tostaeva G, Espinal E, Mehta AD, O'Connell RG, Kelly SP, Bickel S. Intracranial electroencephalography reveals effector-independent evidence accumulation dynamics in multiple human brain regions. Nat Hum Behav 2024:10.1038/s41562-024-01824-9. [PMID: 38366105 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01824-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Neural representations of perceptual decision formation that are abstracted from specific motor requirements have previously been identified in humans using non-invasive electrophysiology; however, it is currently unclear where these originate in the brain. Here we capitalized on the high spatiotemporal precision of intracranial EEG to localize such abstract decision signals. Participants undergoing invasive electrophysiological monitoring for epilepsy were asked to judge the direction of random-dot stimuli and respond either with a speeded button press (N = 24), or vocally, after a randomized delay (N = 12). We found a widely distributed motor-independent network of regions where high-frequency activity exhibited key characteristics consistent with evidence accumulation, including a gradual buildup that was modulated by the strength of the sensory evidence, and an amplitude that predicted participants' choice accuracy and response time. Our findings offer a new view on the brain networks governing human decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Gherman
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.
| | - Noah Markowitz
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Gelana Tostaeva
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth Espinal
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ashesh D Mehta
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Redmond G O'Connell
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Simon P Kelly
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Stephan Bickel
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.
- Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA.
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
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6
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Ansado J, Eynard B, Mirofle N, Mennetrey C, Banchereau J, Sablon M, Lokietek E, Le Vourc'h F, Tissot J, Wrobel J, Martel C, Granon S, Suarez S. Adult norms for the decision-making MindPulse Digital Test. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38354094 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2024.2307413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
We present adult normalized data for MindPulse (MP), a new tool evaluating attentional and executive functioning (AEF) in decision-making. We recruited 722 neurotypical participants (18-80 years), with 149 retested. The MP test includes three tasks: Simple Reaction Time (SRT), Go/No-go, and complex Go/No-go, involving perceptual components, motor responses, and measurements of reaction time (RT) and correctness. We compare responses, evaluating 14 cognitive indices (including new composite indices to describe AEF: Executive Speed and Reaction to Difficulty). We adjust for age/sex effects, introduce a difficulty scale, and consider standard deviations, aberrant times, and Spearman Correlation for speed-accuracy balance. Wilcoxon unpaired rank test is used to assess sex effects, and linear regression is employed to assess the age linear dependency model on the normalized database. The study demonstrated age and sex effects on RTs, in all three subtests, and the ability to correct it for individual results. The test showed excellent validity (Cronbach Alpha for the three subtasks is 92, 87, 95%) and high internal consistency (p < 0.001 for each subtask significantly faster than the more complex subtask) of the MP across the wide age range. Results showed correlation within the three RT parts of the test (p < .001 for each) and the independence of SRT, RD, and ES indices. The Retest effect was lower than intersubject variance, showing consistency over time. This study highlights the MP test's strong validity on a homogeneous, large adult sample. It emphasizes assessing AEF and Reaction to Difficulty dynamically with high sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bertrand Eynard
- It's Brain SAS, Orsay, France
- IPHT/DRF/CEA Institut de Physique Théorique, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- CRM Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Nastasia Mirofle
- Institut des Neurosciences de Paris-Saclay, CNRS UMR 9197, Université Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
| | | | | | | | - Eline Lokietek
- Centre SSR Marguerite Boucicaut, Chalon sur Saône, France
| | | | | | | | - Claire Martel
- Centre de Santé Universitaire, St Martin d'Hères, France
| | - Sylvie Granon
- Institut des Neurosciences de Paris-Saclay, CNRS UMR 9197, Université Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
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7
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Kira S, Zylberberg A, Shadlen MN. Incorporation of a cost of deliberation time in perceptual decision making. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.31.578067. [PMID: 38352612 PMCID: PMC10862799 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.31.578067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Many decisions benefit from the accumulation of evidence obtained sequentially over time. In such circumstances, the decision maker must balance speed against accuracy, and the nature of this tradeoff mediates competing desiderata and costs, especially those associated with the passage of time. A neural mechanism to achieve this balance is to accumulate evidence in suitable units and to terminate the deliberation when enough evidence has accrued. To accommodate time costs, it has been hypothesized that the criterion to terminate a decision may become lax as a function of time. Here we tested this hypothesis by manipulating the cost of time in a perceptual choice-reaction time task. Participants discriminated the direction of motion in a dynamic random-dot display, which varied in difficulty across trials. After each trial, they received feedback in the form of points based on whether they made a correct or erroneous choice. They were instructed to maximize their points per unit of time. Unbeknownst to the participants, halfway through the experiment, we increased the time pressure by canceling a small fraction of trials if they had not made a decision by a provisional deadline. Although the manipulation canceled less than 5% of trials, it induced the participants to make faster decisions while lowering their decision accuracy. The pattern of choices and reaction times were explained by bounded drift-diffusion. In all phases of the experiment, stopping bounds were found to decline as a function of time, consistent with the optimal solution, and this decline was exaggerated in response to the time-cost manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinichiro Kira
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, NY, USA
| | - Ariel Zylberberg
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, NY, USA
| | - Michael N Shadlen
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, NY, USA
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8
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Reppert TR, Heitz RP, Schall JD. Neural mechanisms for executive control of speed-accuracy trade-off. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113422. [PMID: 37950871 PMCID: PMC10833473 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113422] [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: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The medial frontal cortex (MFC) plays an important but disputed role in speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT). In samples of neural spiking in the supplementary eye field (SEF) in the MFC simultaneous with the visuomotor frontal eye field and superior colliculus in macaques performing a visual search with instructed SAT, during accuracy emphasis, most SEF neurons discharge less from before stimulus presentation until response generation. Discharge rates adjust immediately and simultaneously across structures upon SAT cue changes. SEF neurons signal choice errors with stronger and earlier activity during accuracy emphasis. Other neurons signal timing errors, covarying with adjusting response time. Spike correlations between neurons in the SEF and visuomotor areas did not appear, disappear, or change sign across SAT conditions or trial outcomes. These results clarify findings with noninvasive measures, complement previous neurophysiological findings, and endorse the role of the MFC as a critic for the actor instantiated in visuomotor structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas R Reppert
- Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA; Department of Psychology, The University of the South, Sewanee, TN 37383, USA
| | - Richard P Heitz
- Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Schall
- Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA; Centre for Vision Research, Vision Science to Applications, Department of Biology, York University, Toronto ON M3J 1P3, Canada.
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9
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Singletary NM, Horga G, Gottlieb J. A Distinct Neural Code Supports Prospection of Future Probabilities During Instrumental Information-Seeking. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.27.568849. [PMID: 38076800 PMCID: PMC10705234 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.27.568849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
To make adaptive decisions, we must actively demand information, but relatively little is known about the mechanisms of active information gathering. An open question is how the brain estimates expected information gains (EIG) when comparing the current decision uncertainty with the uncertainty that is expected after gathering information. We examined this question using fMRI in a task in which people placed bids to obtain information in conditions that varied independently by prior decision uncertainty, information diagnosticity, and the penalty for an erroneous choice. Consistent with value of information theory, bids were sensitive to EIG and its components of prior certainty and expected posterior certainty. Expected posterior certainty was decoded above chance from multivoxel activation patterns in the posterior parietal and extrastriate cortices. This representation was independent of instrumental rewards and overlapped with distinct representations of EIG and prior certainty. Thus, posterior parietal and extrastriate cortices are candidates for mediating the prospection of posterior probabilities as a key step to estimate EIG during active information gathering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Singletary
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Guillermo Horga
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Jacqueline Gottlieb
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- These authors contributed equally
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10
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Ben-Artzi I, Kessler Y, Nicenboim B, Shahar N. Computational mechanisms underlying latent value updating of unchosen actions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi2704. [PMID: 37862419 PMCID: PMC10588947 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi2704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Current studies suggest that individuals estimate the value of their choices based on observed feedback. Here, we ask whether individuals also update the value of their unchosen actions, even when the associated feedback remains unknown. One hundred seventy-eight individuals completed a multi-armed bandit task, making choices to gain rewards. We found robust evidence suggesting latent value updating of unchosen actions based on the chosen action's outcome. Computational modeling results suggested that this effect is mainly explained by a value updating mechanism whereby individuals integrate the outcome history for choosing an option with that of rejecting the alternative. Properties of the deliberation (i.e., duration/difficulty) did not moderate the latent value updating of unchosen actions, suggesting that memory traces generated during deliberation might take a smaller role in this specific phenomenon than previously thought. We discuss the mechanisms facilitating credit assignment to unchosen actions and their implications for human decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Ben-Artzi
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Minducate Science of Learning Research and Innovation Center of the Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yoav Kessler
- Department of Psychology and School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Bruno Nicenboim
- Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands
| | - Nitzan Shahar
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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11
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Boucher PO, Wang T, Carceroni L, Kane G, Shenoy KV, Chandrasekaran C. Initial conditions combine with sensory evidence to induce decision-related dynamics in premotor cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6510. [PMID: 37845221 PMCID: PMC10579235 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41752-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We used a dynamical systems perspective to understand decision-related neural activity, a fundamentally unresolved problem. This perspective posits that time-varying neural activity is described by a state equation with an initial condition and evolves in time by combining at each time step, recurrent activity and inputs. We hypothesized various dynamical mechanisms of decisions, simulated them in models to derive predictions, and evaluated these predictions by examining firing rates of neurons in the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) of monkeys performing a perceptual decision-making task. Prestimulus neural activity (i.e., the initial condition) predicted poststimulus neural trajectories, covaried with RT and the outcome of the previous trial, but not with choice. Poststimulus dynamics depended on both the sensory evidence and initial condition, with easier stimuli and fast initial conditions leading to the fastest choice-related dynamics. Together, these results suggest that initial conditions combine with sensory evidence to induce decision-related dynamics in PMd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre O Boucher
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Tian Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Laura Carceroni
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Gary Kane
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Krishna V Shenoy
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, HHMI, Chevy Chase, 20815-6789, MD, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
- Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
- Bio-X Program, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
| | - Chandramouli Chandrasekaran
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University, Boston, 02118, MA, USA.
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12
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Christie ST, Johnson HR, Schrater PR. Information-Theoretic Neural Decoding Reproduces Several Laws of Human Behavior. Open Mind (Camb) 2023; 7:675-690. [PMID: 37840757 PMCID: PMC10575563 DOI: 10.1162/opmi_a_00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Human response times conform to several regularities including the Hick-Hyman law, the power law of practice, speed-accuracy trade-offs, and the Stroop effect. Each of these has been thoroughly modeled in isolation, but no account describes these phenomena as predictions of a unified framework. We provide such a framework and show that the phenomena arise as decoding times in a simple neural rate code with an entropy stopping threshold. Whereas traditional information-theoretic encoding systems exploit task statistics to optimize encoding strategies, we move this optimization to the decoder, treating it as a Bayesian ideal observer that can track transmission statistics as prior information during decoding. Our approach allays prominent concerns that applying information-theoretic perspectives to modeling brain and behavior requires complex encoding schemes that are incommensurate with neural encoding.
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13
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Schuster S. The archerfish predictive C-start. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023; 209:827-837. [PMID: 37481772 PMCID: PMC10465633 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01658-2] [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: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
A very quick decision enables hunting archerfish to secure downed prey even when they are heavily outnumbered by competing other surface-feeding fish. Based exclusively on information that is taken briefly after the onset of prey motion, the fish select a rapid C-start that turns them right towards the later point of catch. Moreover, the C-start, and not later fin strokes, already lends the fish the speed needed to arrive at just the right time. The archerfish predictive C-starts are kinematically not distinguishable from escape C-starts made by the same individual and are among the fastest C-starts known in teleost fish. The start decisions allow the fish-for ballistically falling prey-to respond accurately to any combination of the initial variables of prey movement and for any position and orientation of the responding fish. The start decisions do not show a speed-accuracy tradeoff and their accuracy is buffered against substantial changes of environmental parameters. Here, I introduce key aspects of this high-speed decision that combines speed, complexity, and precision in an unusual way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Schuster
- Lehrstuhl für Tierphysiologie , University of Bayreuth , 95440, Bayreuth, Germany.
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14
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Geuzebroek AC, Craddock H, O'Connell RG, Kelly SP. Balancing true and false detection of intermittent sensory targets by adjusting the inputs to the evidence accumulation process. eLife 2023; 12:e83025. [PMID: 37646405 PMCID: PMC10547474 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83025] [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: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Decisions about noisy stimuli are widely understood to be made by accumulating evidence up to a decision bound that can be adjusted according to task demands. However, relatively little is known about how such mechanisms operate in continuous monitoring contexts requiring intermittent target detection. Here, we examined neural decision processes underlying detection of 1 s coherence targets within continuous random dot motion, and how they are adjusted across contexts with weak, strong, or randomly mixed weak/strong targets. Our prediction was that decision bounds would be set lower when weak targets are more prevalent. Behavioural hit and false alarm rate patterns were consistent with this, and were well captured by a bound-adjustable leaky accumulator model. However, beta-band EEG signatures of motor preparation contradicted this, instead indicating lower bounds in the strong-target context. We thus tested two alternative models in which decision-bound dynamics were constrained directly by beta measurements, respectively, featuring leaky accumulation with adjustable leak, and non-leaky accumulation of evidence referenced to an adjustable sensory-level criterion. We found that the latter model best explained both behaviour and neural dynamics, highlighting novel means of decision policy regulation and the value of neurally informed modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C Geuzebroek
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Hannah Craddock
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College DublinDublinIreland
- Department of Statistics, University of WarwickWarwickUnited Kingdom
| | - Redmond G O'Connell
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and School of Psychology, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Simon P Kelly
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College DublinDublinIreland
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15
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Stine GM, Trautmann EM, Jeurissen D, Shadlen MN. A neural mechanism for terminating decisions. Neuron 2023; 111:2601-2613.e5. [PMID: 37352857 PMCID: PMC10565788 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.05.028] [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: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The brain makes decisions by accumulating evidence until there is enough to stop and choose. Neural mechanisms of evidence accumulation are established in association cortex, but the site and mechanism of termination are unknown. Here, we show that the superior colliculus (SC) plays a causal role in terminating decisions, and we provide evidence for a mechanism by which this occurs. We recorded simultaneously from neurons in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) and SC while monkeys made perceptual decisions. Despite similar trial-averaged activity, we found distinct single-trial dynamics in the two areas: LIP displayed drift-diffusion dynamics and SC displayed bursting dynamics. We hypothesized that the bursts manifest a threshold mechanism applied to signals represented in LIP to terminate the decision. Consistent with this hypothesis, SC inactivation produced behavioral effects diagnostic of an impaired threshold sensor and prolonged the buildup of activity in LIP. The results reveal the transformation from deliberation to commitment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel M Stine
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eric M Trautmann
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Danique Jeurissen
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Michael N Shadlen
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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16
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Grogan JP, Rys W, Kelly SP, O’Connell RG. Confidence is predicted by pre- and post-choice decision signal dynamics. IMAGING NEUROSCIENCE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 1:1-23. [PMID: 37719838 PMCID: PMC10503486 DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
It is well established that one's confidence in a choice can be influenced by new evidence encountered after commitment has been reached, but the processes through which post-choice evidence is sampled remain unclear. To investigate this, we traced the pre- and post-choice dynamics of electrophysiological signatures of evidence accumulation (Centro-parietal Positivity, CPP) and motor preparation (mu/beta band) to determine their sensitivity to participants' confidence in their perceptual discriminations. Pre-choice CPP amplitudes scaled with confidence both when confidence was reported simultaneously with choice, and when reported 1 second after the initial direction decision with no intervening evidence. When additional evidence was presented during the post-choice delay period, the CPP exhibited sustained activation after the initial choice, with a more prolonged build-up on trials with lower certainty in the alternative that was finally endorsed, irrespective of whether this entailed a change-of-mind from the initial choice or not. Further investigation established that this pattern was accompanied by later lateralisation of motor preparation signals toward the ultimately chosen response and slower confidence reports when participants indicated low certainty in this response. These observations are consistent with certainty-dependent stopping theories according to which post-choice evidence accumulation ceases when a criterion level of certainty in a choice alternative has been reached, but continues otherwise. Our findings have implications for current models of choice confidence, and predictions they may make about EEG signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P. Grogan
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Wouter Rys
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Simon P. Kelly
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Redmond G. O’Connell
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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17
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Balsdon T, Verdonck S, Loossens T, Philiastides MG. Secondary motor integration as a final arbiter in sensorimotor decision-making. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002200. [PMID: 37459392 PMCID: PMC10393169 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensorimotor decision-making is believed to involve a process of accumulating sensory evidence over time. While current theories posit a single accumulation process prior to planning an overt motor response, here, we propose an active role of motor processes in decision formation via a secondary leaky motor accumulation stage. The motor leak adapts the "memory" with which this secondary accumulator reintegrates the primary accumulated sensory evidence, thus adjusting the temporal smoothing in the motor evidence and, correspondingly, the lag between the primary and motor accumulators. We compare this framework against different single accumulator variants using formal model comparison, fitting choice, and response times in a task where human observers made categorical decisions about a noisy sequence of images, under different speed-accuracy trade-off instructions. We show that, rather than boundary adjustments (controlling the amount of evidence accumulated for decision commitment), adjustment of the leak in the secondary motor accumulator provides the better description of behavior across conditions. Importantly, we derive neural correlates of these 2 integration processes from electroencephalography data recorded during the same task and show that these neural correlates adhere to the neural response profiles predicted by the model. This framework thus provides a neurobiologically plausible description of sensorimotor decision-making that captures emerging evidence of the active role of motor processes in choice behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarryn Balsdon
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Stijn Verdonck
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tim Loossens
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marios G Philiastides
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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18
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MaBouDi H, Marshall JAR, Dearden N, Barron AB. How honey bees make fast and accurate decisions. eLife 2023; 12:e86176. [PMID: 37365884 PMCID: PMC10299826 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86176] [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: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Honey bee ecology demands they make both rapid and accurate assessments of which flowers are most likely to offer them nectar or pollen. To understand the mechanisms of honey bee decision-making, we examined their speed and accuracy of both flower acceptance and rejection decisions. We used a controlled flight arena that varied both the likelihood of a stimulus offering reward and punishment and the quality of evidence for stimuli. We found that the sophistication of honey bee decision-making rivalled that reported for primates. Their decisions were sensitive to both the quality and reliability of evidence. Acceptance responses had higher accuracy than rejection responses and were more sensitive to changes in available evidence and reward likelihood. Fast acceptances were more likely to be correct than slower acceptances; a phenomenon also seen in primates and indicative that the evidence threshold for a decision changes dynamically with sampling time. To investigate the minimally sufficient circuitry required for these decision-making capacities, we developed a novel model of decision-making. Our model can be mapped to known pathways in the insect brain and is neurobiologically plausible. Our model proposes a system for robust autonomous decision-making with potential application in robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- HaDi MaBouDi
- Department of Computer Science, University of SheffieldSheffieldUnited Kingdom
- Sheffield Neuroscience Institute, University of SheffieldSheffieldUnited Kingdom
| | - James AR Marshall
- Department of Computer Science, University of SheffieldSheffieldUnited Kingdom
- Sheffield Neuroscience Institute, University of SheffieldSheffieldUnited Kingdom
| | - Neville Dearden
- Department of Computer Science, University of SheffieldSheffieldUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Computer Science, University of SheffieldSheffieldUnited Kingdom
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie UniversityNorth RydeAustralia
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19
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McNally GP, Jean-Richard-Dit-Bressel P, Millan EZ, Lawrence AJ. Pathways to the persistence of drug use despite its adverse consequences. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2228-2237. [PMID: 36997610 PMCID: PMC10611585 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02040-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
The persistence of drug taking despite its adverse consequences plays a central role in the presentation, diagnosis, and impacts of addiction. Eventual recognition and appraisal of these adverse consequences is central to decisions to reduce or cease use. However, the most appropriate ways of conceptualizing persistence in the face of adverse consequences remain unclear. Here we review evidence that there are at least three pathways to persistent use despite the negative consequences of that use. A cognitive pathway for recognition of adverse consequences, a motivational pathway for valuation of these consequences, and a behavioral pathway for responding to these adverse consequences. These pathways are dynamic, not linear, with multiple possible trajectories between them, and each is sufficient to produce persistence. We describe these pathways, their characteristics, brain cellular and circuit substrates, and we highlight their relevance to different pathways to self- and treatment-guided behavior change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
| | | | - E Zayra Millan
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
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20
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Sadeghnejad N, Ezoji M, Ebrahimpour R, Zabbah S. Resolving the neural mechanism of core object recognition in space and time: A computational approach. Neurosci Res 2023; 190:36-50. [PMID: 36502958 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.12.002] [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: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The underlying mechanism of object recognition- a fundamental brain ability- has been investigated in various studies. However, balancing between the speed and accuracy of recognition is less explored. Most of the computational models of object recognition are not potentially able to explain the recognition time and, thus, only focus on the recognition accuracy because of two reasons: lack of a temporal representation mechanism for sensory processing and using non-biological classifiers for decision-making processing. Here, we proposed a hierarchical temporal model of object recognition using a spiking deep neural network coupled to a biologically plausible decision-making model for explaining both recognition time and accuracy. We showed that the response dynamics of the proposed model can resemble those of the brain. Firstly, in an object recognition task, the model can mimic human's and monkey's recognition time as well as accuracy. Secondly, the model can replicate different speed-accuracy trade-off regimes as observed in the literature. More importantly, we demonstrated that temporal representation of different abstraction levels (superordinate, midlevel, and subordinate) in the proposed model matched the brain representation dynamics observed in previous studies. We conclude that the accumulation of spikes, generated by a hierarchical feedforward spiking structure, to reach abound can well explain not even the dynamics of making a decision, but also the representations dynamics for different abstraction levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naser Sadeghnejad
- Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
| | - Mehdi Ezoji
- Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran.
| | - Reza Ebrahimpour
- Institute for Convergence Science and Technology (ICST), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; Faculty of Computer Engineering, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran; School of Cognitive Sciences (SCS), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
| | - Sajjad Zabbah
- School of Cognitive Sciences (SCS), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Aging Research, University College London, London, UK
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21
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Abstract
Neural mechanisms of perceptual decision making have been extensively studied in experimental settings that mimic stable environments with repeating stimuli, fixed rules, and payoffs. In contrast, we live in an ever-changing environment and have varying goals and behavioral demands. To accommodate variability, our brain flexibly adjusts decision-making processes depending on context. Here, we review a growing body of research that explores the neural mechanisms underlying this flexibility. We highlight diverse forms of context dependency in decision making implemented through a variety of neural computations. Context-dependent neural activity is observed in a distributed network of brain structures, including posterior parietal, sensory, motor, and subcortical regions, as well as the prefrontal areas classically implicated in cognitive control. We propose that investigating the distributed network underlying flexible decisions is key to advancing our understanding and discuss a path forward for experimental and theoretical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gouki Okazawa
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA;
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Roozbeh Kiani
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA;
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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22
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Lawlor J, Zagala A, Jamali S, Boubenec Y. Pupillary dynamics reflect the impact of temporal expectation on detection strategy. iScience 2023; 26:106000. [PMID: 36798438 PMCID: PMC9926307 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Everyday life's perceptual decision-making is informed by experience. In particular, temporal expectation can ease the detection of relevant events in noisy sensory streams. Here, we investigated if humans can extract hidden temporal cues from the occurrences of probabilistic targets and utilize them to inform target detection in a complex acoustic stream. To understand what neural mechanisms implement temporal expectation influence on decision-making, we used pupillometry as a proxy for underlying neuromodulatory activity. We found that participants' detection strategy was influenced by the hidden temporal context and correlated with sound-evoked pupil dilation. A model of urgency fitted on false alarms predicted detection reaction time. Altogether, these findings suggest that temporal expectation informs decision-making and could be implemented through neuromodulatory-mediated urgency signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Lawlor
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA,Corresponding author
| | - Agnès Zagala
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Canada
| | - Sara Jamali
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Institut de l’Audition, Paris, France
| | - Yves Boubenec
- Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d’études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
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23
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Mafi F, Tang MF, Afarinesh MR, Ghasemian S, Sheibani V, Arabzadeh E. Temporal order judgment of multisensory stimuli in rat and human. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1070452. [PMID: 36710957 PMCID: PMC9879721 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1070452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
We do not fully understand the resolution at which temporal information is processed by different species. Here we employed a temporal order judgment (TOJ) task in rats and humans to test the temporal precision with which these species can detect the order of presentation of simple stimuli across two modalities of vision and audition. Both species reported the order of audiovisual stimuli when they were presented from a central location at a range of stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA)s. While both species could reliably distinguish the temporal order of stimuli based on their sensory content (i.e., the modality label), rats outperformed humans at short SOAs (less than 100 ms) whereas humans outperformed rats at long SOAs (greater than 100 ms). Moreover, rats produced faster responses compared to humans. The reaction time data further revealed key differences in decision process across the two species: at longer SOAs, reaction times increased in rats but decreased in humans. Finally, drift-diffusion modeling allowed us to isolate the contribution of various parameters including evidence accumulation rates, lapse and bias to the sensory decision. Consistent with the psychophysical findings, the model revealed higher temporal sensitivity and a higher lapse rate in rats compared to humans. These findings suggest that these species applied different strategies for making perceptual decisions in the context of a multimodal TOJ task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Mafi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Matthew F. Tang
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Mohammad Reza Afarinesh
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Sadegh Ghasemian
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Vahid Sheibani
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Ehsan Arabzadeh
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran,Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia,*Correspondence: Ehsan Arabzadeh,
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24
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Lee TL, Lee H, Kang N. A meta-analysis showing improved cognitive performance in healthy young adults with transcranial alternating current stimulation. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2023; 8:1. [PMID: 36593247 PMCID: PMC9807644 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-022-00152-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation used for improving cognitive functions via delivering weak electrical stimulation with a certain frequency. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of tACS protocols on cognitive functions in healthy young adults. We identified 56 qualified studies that compared cognitive functions between tACS and sham control groups, as indicated by cognitive performances and cognition-related reaction time. Moderator variable analyses specified effect size according to (a) timing of tACS, (b) frequency band of simulation, (c) targeted brain region, and (b) cognitive domain, respectively. Random-effects model meta-analysis revealed small positive effects of tACS protocols on cognitive performances. The moderator variable analyses found significant effects for online-tACS with theta frequency band, online-tACS with gamma frequency band, and offline-tACS with theta frequency band. Moreover, cognitive performances were improved in online- and offline-tACS with theta frequency band on either prefrontal and posterior parietal cortical regions, and further both online- and offline-tACS with theta frequency band enhanced executive function. Online-tACS with gamma frequency band on posterior parietal cortex was effective for improving cognitive performances, and the cognitive improvements appeared in executive function and perceptual-motor function. These findings suggested that tACS protocols with specific timing and frequency band may effectively improve cognitive performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Lee Lee
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Hanall Lee
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Nyeonju Kang
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
- Division of Sport Science & Sport Science Institute, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
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25
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Corbett EA, Martinez-Rodriguez LA, Judd C, O'Connell RG, Kelly SP. Multiphasic value biases in fast-paced decisions. eLife 2023; 12:67711. [PMID: 36779966 PMCID: PMC9925050 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Perceptual decisions are biased toward higher-value options when overall gains can be improved. When stimuli demand immediate reactions, the neurophysiological decision process dynamically evolves through distinct phases of growing anticipation, detection, and discrimination, but how value biases are exerted through these phases remains unknown. Here, by parsing motor preparation dynamics in human electrophysiology, we uncovered a multiphasic pattern of countervailing biases operating in speeded decisions. Anticipatory preparation of higher-value actions began earlier, conferring a 'starting point' advantage at stimulus onset, but the delayed preparation of lower-value actions was steeper, conferring a value-opposed buildup-rate bias. This, in turn, was countered by a transient deflection toward the higher-value action evoked by stimulus detection. A neurally-constrained process model featuring anticipatory urgency, biased detection, and accumulation of growing stimulus-discriminating evidence, successfully captured both behavior and motor preparation dynamics. Thus, an intricate interplay of distinct biasing mechanisms serves to prioritise time-constrained perceptual decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine A Corbett
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland,School of Psychology, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland,School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College DublinDublinIreland
| | - L Alexandra Martinez-Rodriguez
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Cian Judd
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Redmond G O'Connell
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland,School of Psychology, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Simon P Kelly
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland,School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College DublinDublinIreland
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26
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Computational analysis of speed-accuracy tradeoff. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21995. [PMID: 36539428 PMCID: PMC9768160 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26120-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Speed-accuracy tradeoff (SAT) in the decision making of humans and animals is a well-documented phenomenon, but its underlying neuronal mechanism remains unclear. Modeling approaches have conceptualized SAT through the threshold hypothesis as adjustments to the decision threshold. However, the leading neurophysiological view is the gain modulation hypothesis. This hypothesis postulates that the SAT mechanism is implemented through changes in the dynamics of the choice circuit, which increase the baseline firing rate and the speed of neuronal integration. In this paper, I investigated alternative computational mechanisms of SAT and showed that the threshold hypothesis was qualitatively consistent with the behavioral data, but the gain modulation hypothesis was not. In order to reconcile the threshold hypothesis with the neurophysiological evidence, I considered the interference of alpha oscillations with the decision process and showed that alpha oscillations could increase the discriminatory power of the decision system, although they slowed down the decision process. This suggests that the magnitude of alpha waves suppression during the event related desynchronization (ERD) of alpha oscillations depends on a SAT condition and the amplitude of alpha oscillations is lower in the speed condition. I also showed that the lower amplitude of alpha oscillations resulted in an increase in the baseline firing rate and the speed of neuronal intergration. Thus, the interference of the event related desynchronization of alpha oscillations with a SAT condition explains why an increase in the baseline firing rate and the speed of neuronal integration accompany the speed condition.
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Degenerate boundaries for multiple-alternative decisions. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5066. [PMID: 36038538 PMCID: PMC9424291 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32741-y] [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: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Integration-to-threshold models of two-choice perceptual decision making have guided our understanding of human and animal behavior and neural processing. Although such models seem to extend naturally to multiple-choice decision making, consensus on a normative framework has yet to emerge, and hence the implications of threshold characteristics for multiple choices have only been partially explored. Here we consider sequential Bayesian inference and a conceptualisation of decision making as a particle diffusing in n-dimensions. We show by simulation that, within a parameterised subset of time-independent boundaries, the optimal decision boundaries comprise a degenerate family of nonlinear structures that jointly depend on the state of multiple accumulators and speed-accuracy trade-offs. This degeneracy is contrary to current 2-choice results where there is a single optimal threshold. Such boundaries support both stationary and collapsing thresholds as optimal strategies for decision-making, both of which result from stationary representations of nonlinear boundaries. Our findings point towards a normative theory of multiple-choice decision making, provide a characterisation of optimal decision thresholds under this framework, and inform the debate between stationary and dynamic decision boundaries for optimal decision making.
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Treviño M, Medina-Coss Y León R, Lezama E. Response Time Distributions and the Accumulation of Visual Evidence in Freely Moving Mice. Neuroscience 2022; 501:25-41. [PMID: 35995337 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.08.015] [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: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Response time (RT) distributions are histograms of the observed RTs for discriminative choices, comprising a rich source of empirical information to study perceptual processes. The drift-diffusion model (DDM), a mathematical formulation predicting decision tasks, reproduces the RT distributions, contributing to our understanding of these processes from a theoretical perspective. Notably, although the mouse is a popular model system for studying brain function and behavior, little is known about mouse perceptual RT distributions, and their description from an information-accumulation perspective. We combined an automated visual discrimination task with pharmacological micro-infusions of targeted brain regions to acquire thousands of responses from freely-moving adult mice. Both choices and escape latencies showed a strong dependency on stimulus discriminability. By applying a DDM fit to our experimental data, we found that the rate of incoming evidence (drift rate) increased with stimulus contrast but was reversibly impaired when inactivating the primary visual cortex (V1). Other brain regions involved in the decision-making process, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and the frontal orienting fields (FOF), also influenced relevant parameters from the DDM. The large number of empirical observations that we collected for this study allowed us to achieve accurate convergence for the model fit. Therefore, changes in the experimental conditions were mirrored by changes in model parameters, suggesting the participation of relevant brain areas in the decision-making process. This approach could help interpret future studies involving attention, discrimination, and learning in adult mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Treviño
- Laboratorio de Plasticidad Cortical y Aprendizaje Perceptual, Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
| | - Ricardo Medina-Coss Y León
- Laboratorio de Plasticidad Cortical y Aprendizaje Perceptual, Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; Simmons Cancer Institute at Southern Illinois University, USA
| | - Elí Lezama
- Laboratorio de Plasticidad Cortical y Aprendizaje Perceptual, Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
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Harris A, Hutcherson CA. Temporal dynamics of decision making: A synthesis of computational and neurophysiological approaches. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2022; 13:e1586. [PMID: 34854573 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
As interest in the temporal dynamics of decision-making has grown, researchers have increasingly turned to computational approaches such as the drift diffusion model (DDM) to identify how cognitive processes unfold during choice. At the same time, technological advances in noninvasive neurophysiological methods such as electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography now allow researchers to map the neural time course of decision making with millisecond precision. Combining these approaches can potentially yield important new insights into how choices emerge over time. Here we review recent research on the computational and neurophysiological correlates of perceptual and value-based decision making, from DDM parameters to scalp potentials and oscillatory neural activity. Starting with motor response preparation, the most well-understood aspect of the decision process, we discuss evidence that urgency signals and shifts in baseline activation, rather than shifts in the physiological value of the choice-triggering response threshold, are responsible for adjusting response times under speeded choice scenarios. Research on the neural correlates of starting point bias suggests that prestimulus activity can predict biases in motor choice behavior. Finally, studies examining the time dynamics of evidence construction and evidence accumulation have identified signals at frontocentral and centroparietal electrodes associated respectively with these processes, emerging 300-500 ms after stimulus onset. These findings can inform psychological theories of decision-making, providing empirical support for attribute weighting in value-based choice while suggesting theoretical alternatives to dual-process accounts. Further research combining computational and neurophysiological approaches holds promise for providing greater insight into the moment-by-moment evolution of the decision process. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Reasoning and Decision Making Neuroscience > Cognition Economics > Individual Decision-Making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Harris
- Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California, USA
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30
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Boehm U, Cox S, Gantner G, Stevenson R. Efficient numerical approximation of a non-regular Fokker-Planck equation associated with first-passage time distributions. BIT. NUMERICAL MATHEMATICS 2022; 62:1355-1382. [PMID: 36415672 PMCID: PMC9674775 DOI: 10.1007/s10543-022-00914-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In neuroscience, the distribution of a decision time is modelled by means of a one-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation with time-dependent boundaries and space-time-dependent drift. Efficient approximation of the solution to this equation is required, e.g., for model evaluation and parameter fitting. However, the prescribed boundary conditions lead to a strong singularity and thus to slow convergence of numerical approximations. In this article we demonstrate that the solution can be related to the solution of a parabolic PDE on a rectangular space-time domain with homogeneous initial and boundary conditions by transformation and subtraction of a known function. We verify that the solution of the new PDE is indeed more regular than the solution of the original PDE and proceed to discretize the new PDE using a space-time minimal residual method. We also demonstrate that the solution depends analytically on the parameters determining the boundaries as well as the drift. This justifies the use of a sparse tensor product interpolation method to approximate the PDE solution for various parameter ranges. The predicted convergence rates of the minimal residual method and that of the interpolation method are supported by numerical simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udo Boehm
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 15906, 1001 NK Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sonja Cox
- Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) Institute for Mathematics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gregor Gantner
- Institute of Analysis and Scientific Computing, TU Wien, Wiedner Hauptstraße 8-10, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rob Stevenson
- Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) Institute for Mathematics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Derosiere G, Thura D, Cisek P, Duque J. Hasty sensorimotor decisions rely on an overlap of broad and selective changes in motor activity. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001598. [PMID: 35389982 PMCID: PMC9017893 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans and other animals are able to adjust their speed–accuracy trade-off (SAT) at will depending on the urge to act, favoring either cautious or hasty decision policies in different contexts. An emerging view is that SAT regulation relies on influences exerting broad changes on the motor system, tuning its activity up globally when hastiness is at premium. The present study aimed to test this hypothesis. A total of 50 participants performed a task involving choices between left and right index fingers, in which incorrect choices led either to a high or to a low penalty in 2 contexts, inciting them to emphasize either cautious or hasty policies. We applied transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on multiple motor representations, eliciting motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in 9 finger and leg muscles. MEP amplitudes allowed us to probe activity changes in the corresponding finger and leg representations, while participants were deliberating about which index to choose. Our data indicate that hastiness entails a broad amplification of motor activity, although this amplification was limited to the chosen side. On top of this effect, we identified a local suppression of motor activity, surrounding the chosen index representation. Hence, a decision policy favoring speed over accuracy appears to rely on overlapping processes producing a broad (but not global) amplification and a surround suppression of motor activity. The latter effect may help to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the chosen representation, as supported by single-trial correlation analyses indicating a stronger differentiation of activity changes in finger representations in the hasty context. Many have argued that the regulation of the speed-accuracy tradeoff relies on an urgency signal, which implements "collapsing decision thresholds" by tuning neural activity in a global manner in decision-related structures. This study indicates that the reality is more subtle, with several aspects of "urgency" being specifically targeted to particular corticospinal populations within the motor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerard Derosiere
- Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- * E-mail:
| | - David Thura
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center–Impact Team, Inserm U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon 1 University, Bron, France
| | - Paul Cisek
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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32
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Redish AD, Kepecs A, Anderson LM, Calvin OL, Grissom NM, Haynos AF, Heilbronner SR, Herman AB, Jacob S, Ma S, Vilares I, Vinogradov S, Walters CJ, Widge AS, Zick JL, Zilverstand A. Computational validity: using computation to translate behaviours across species. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200525. [PMID: 34957854 PMCID: PMC8710889 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose a new conceptual framework (computational validity) for translation across species and populations based on the computational similarity between the information processing underlying parallel tasks. Translating between species depends not on the superficial similarity of the tasks presented, but rather on the computational similarity of the strategies and mechanisms that underlie those behaviours. Computational validity goes beyond construct validity by directly addressing questions of information processing. Computational validity interacts with circuit validity as computation depends on circuits, but similar computations could be accomplished by different circuits. Because different individuals may use different computations to accomplish a given task, computational validity suggests that behaviour should be understood through the subject's point of view; thus, behaviour should be characterized on an individual level rather than a task level. Tasks can constrain the computational algorithms available to a subject and the observed subtleties of that behaviour can provide information about the computations used by each individual. Computational validity has especially high relevance for the study of psychiatric disorders, given the new views of psychiatry as identifying and mediating information processing dysfunctions that may show high inter-individual variability, as well as for animal models investigating aspects of human psychiatric disorders. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. David Redish
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Adam Kepecs
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lisa M. Anderson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Olivia L. Calvin
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Nicola M. Grissom
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ann F. Haynos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Alexander B. Herman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Suma Jacob
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Sisi Ma
- Department of Medicine - Institute for Health Informatics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Iris Vilares
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Sophia Vinogradov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Cody J. Walters
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alik S. Widge
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Zick
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Anna Zilverstand
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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33
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Shinn M, Lee D, Murray JD, Seo H. Transient neuronal suppression for exploitation of new sensory evidence. Nat Commun 2022; 13:23. [PMID: 35013222 PMCID: PMC8748884 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27697-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In noisy but stationary environments, decisions should be based on the temporal integration of sequentially sampled evidence. This strategy has been supported by many behavioral studies and is qualitatively consistent with neural activity in multiple brain areas. By contrast, decision-making in the face of non-stationary sensory evidence remains poorly understood. Here, we trained monkeys to identify and respond via saccade to the dominant color of a dynamically refreshed bicolor patch that becomes informative after a variable delay. Animals’ behavioral responses were briefly suppressed after evidence changes, and many neurons in the frontal eye field displayed a corresponding dip in activity at this time, similar to that frequently observed after stimulus onset but sensitive to stimulus strength. Generalized drift-diffusion models revealed consistency of behavior and neural activity with brief suppression of motor output, but not with pausing or resetting of evidence accumulation. These results suggest that momentary arrest of motor preparation is important for dynamic perceptual decision making. While evidence is constantly changing during real-world decisions, little is known about how the brain deals with such changes. Here, the authors show that the brain strategically suppresses motor output via the frontal eye fields in response to stimulus changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell Shinn
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Daeyeol Lee
- Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.,Kavli Discovery Neuroscience Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - John D Murray
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. .,Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Hyojung Seo
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
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34
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Hernández-Navarro L, Hermoso-Mendizabal A, Duque D, de la Rocha J, Hyafil A. Proactive and reactive accumulation-to-bound processes compete during perceptual decisions. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7148. [PMID: 34880219 PMCID: PMC8655090 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27302-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Standard models of perceptual decision-making postulate that a response is triggered in reaction to stimulus presentation when the accumulated stimulus evidence reaches a decision threshold. This framework excludes however the possibility that informed responses are generated proactively at a time independent of stimulus. Here, we find that, in a free reaction time auditory task in rats, reactive and proactive responses coexist, suggesting that choice selection and motor initiation, commonly viewed as serial processes, are decoupled in general. We capture this behavior by a novel model in which proactive and reactive responses are triggered whenever either of two competing processes, respectively Action Initiation or Evidence Accumulation, reaches a bound. In both types of response, the choice is ultimately informed by the Evidence Accumulation process. The Action Initiation process readily explains premature responses, contributes to urgency effects at long reaction times and mediates the slowing of the responses as animals get satiated and tired during sessions. Moreover, it successfully predicts reaction time distributions when the stimulus was either delayed, advanced or omitted. Overall, these results fundamentally extend standard models of evidence accumulation in decision making by showing that proactive and reactive processes compete for the generation of responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Alexandre Hyafil
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Ramón Trias Fargas, 25, 08018, Barcelona, Spain.
- Center of Mathematical Research, Campus UAB Edifici C, 08193, Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain.
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35
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Linear Integration of Sensory Evidence over Space and Time Underlies Face Categorization. J Neurosci 2021; 41:7876-7893. [PMID: 34326145 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3055-20.2021] [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: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual object recognition relies on elaborate sensory processes that transform retinal inputs to object representations, but it also requires decision-making processes that read out object representations and function over prolonged time scales. The computational properties of these decision-making processes remain underexplored for object recognition. Here, we study these computations by developing a stochastic multifeature face categorization task. Using quantitative models and tight control of spatiotemporal visual information, we demonstrate that human subjects (five males, eight females) categorize faces through an integration process that first linearly adds the evidence conferred by task-relevant features over space to create aggregated momentary evidence and then linearly integrates it over time with minimum information loss. Discrimination of stimuli along different category boundaries (e.g., identity or expression of a face) is implemented by adjusting feature weights of spatial integration. This linear but flexible integration process over space and time bridges past studies on simple perceptual decisions to complex object recognition behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although simple perceptual decision-making such as discrimination of random dot motion has been successfully explained as accumulation of sensory evidence, we lack rigorous experimental paradigms to study the mechanisms underlying complex perceptual decision-making such as discrimination of naturalistic faces. We develop a stochastic multifeature face categorization task as a systematic approach to quantify the properties and potential limitations of the decision-making processes during object recognition. We show that human face categorization could be modeled as a linear integration of sensory evidence over space and time. Our framework to study object recognition as a spatiotemporal integration process is broadly applicable to other object categories and bridges past studies of object recognition and perceptual decision-making.
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36
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Guan Q, Wang J, Chen Y, Liu Y, He H. Beyond information rate, the capacity of cognitive control predicts response criteria in perceptual decision-making. Brain Cogn 2021; 154:105788. [PMID: 34481205 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105788] [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: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies indicate that higher capacity of cognitive control (CCC) represents higher processing efficiency (i.e., high accuracy with fast speed). However, the speed-accuracy tradeoff (SAT) exists ubiquitously in decision-making, and little is known about whether and how the CCC is associated with SAT and whether the CCC-SAT relationship would be affected by changes in information entropy. In this study, fifty-nine college students performed a majority function task in which accuracy and response speed were equally emphasized. A Bayesian-based hierarchical drift diffusion modeling method was used to estimate three parameters of boundary separation, drift rate, and nondecision time for each participant in this task. In addition, the CCC of each participant was estimated. The results showed that the CCC was positively correlated with the SAT represented by jointly increasing accuracy and reaction time (RT), which was modulated by the change in task-relevant information entropy. Multiple mediation analyses indicated that drift rate served as the key mediator in the positive CCC-accuracy relationship while boundary separation played the major mediating role in the positive CCC-RT relationship. These findings suggest that the CCC reflects not only the rate of information processing but also decision strategies for achieving current goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Guan
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Center for Neuroimaging, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Center of Psychosomatic Medicine of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yiqi Chen
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hao He
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, China.
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37
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Desender K, Ridderinkhof KR, Murphy PR. Understanding neural signals of post-decisional performance monitoring: An integrative review. eLife 2021; 10:e67556. [PMID: 34414883 PMCID: PMC8378845 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Performance monitoring is a key cognitive function, allowing to detect mistakes and adapt future behavior. Post-decisional neural signals have been identified that are sensitive to decision accuracy, decision confidence and subsequent adaptation. Here, we review recent work that supports an understanding of late error/confidence signals in terms of the computational process of post-decisional evidence accumulation. We argue that the error positivity, a positive-going centro-parietal potential measured through scalp electrophysiology, reflects the post-decisional evidence accumulation process itself, which follows a boundary crossing event corresponding to initial decision commitment. This proposal provides a powerful explanation for both the morphological characteristics of the signal and its relation to various expressions of performance monitoring. Moreover, it suggests that the error positivity -a signal with thus far unique properties in cognitive neuroscience - can be leveraged to furnish key new insights into the inputs to, adaptation, and consequences of the post-decisional accumulation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kobe Desender
- Brain and Cognition, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburgGermany
| | - K Richard Ridderinkhof
- Department of Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Amsterdam center for Brain and Cognition (ABC), University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Peter R Murphy
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburgGermany
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland
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Funamizu A. Integration of sensory evidence and reward expectation in mouse perceptual decision-making task with various sensory uncertainties. iScience 2021; 24:102826. [PMID: 34355152 PMCID: PMC8319806 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In perceptual decision-making, prior knowledge of action outcomes is essential, especially when sensory inputs are insufficient for proper choices. Signal detection theory (SDT) shows that optimal choice bias depends not only on the prior but also the sensory uncertainty; however, it is unclear how animals integrate sensory inputs with various uncertainties and reward expectations to optimize choices. We developed a tone-frequency discrimination task for head-fixed mice in which we randomly presented either a long or short sound stimulus and biased the choice outcomes. The choice was less accurate and more biased toward the large-reward side in short- than in long-stimulus trials. Analysis with SDT found that mice did not use a separate, optimal choice threshold in different sound durations. Instead, mice updated one threshold for short and long stimuli with a simple reinforcement-learning rule. Our task in head-fixed mice helps understanding how the brain integrates sensory inputs and prior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Funamizu
- Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of Tokyo, Laboratory of Neural Computation, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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39
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Derosiere G, Thura D, Cisek P, Duque J. Trading accuracy for speed over the course of a decision. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:361-372. [PMID: 34191623 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00038.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans and other animals often need to balance the desire to gather sensory information (to make the best choice) with the urgency to act, facing a speed-accuracy tradeoff (SAT). Given the ubiquity of SAT across species, extensive research has been devoted to understanding the computational mechanisms allowing its regulation at different timescales, including from one context to another, and from one decision to another. However, animals must frequently change their SAT on even shorter timescales-that is, over the course of an ongoing decision-and little is known about the mechanisms that allow such rapid adaptations. The present study aimed at addressing this issue. Human subjects performed a decision task with changing evidence. In this task, subjects received rewards for correct answers but incurred penalties for mistakes. An increase or a decrease in penalty occurring halfway through the trial promoted rapid SAT shifts, favoring speeded decisions either in the early or in the late stage of the trial. Importantly, these shifts were associated with stage-specific adjustments in the accuracy criterion exploited for committing to a choice. Those subjects who decreased the most their accuracy criterion at a given decision stage exhibited the highest gain in speed, but also the highest cost in terms of performance accuracy at that time. Altogether, the current findings offer a unique extension of previous work, by suggesting that dynamic cha*nges in accuracy criterion allow the regulation of the SAT within the timescale of a single decision.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Extensive research has been devoted to understanding the mechanisms allowing the regulation of the speed-accuracy tradeoff (SAT) from one context to another and from one decision to another. Here, we show that humans can voluntarily change their SAT on even shorter timescales-that is, over the course of a decision. These rapid SAT shifts are associated with dynamic adjustments in the accuracy criterion exploited for committing to a choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerard Derosiere
- Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - David Thura
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Lyon 1 University, Bron, France
| | - Paul Cisek
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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40
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Yau Y, Hinault T, Taylor M, Cisek P, Fellows LK, Dagher A. Evidence and Urgency Related EEG Signals during Dynamic Decision-Making in Humans. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5711-5722. [PMID: 34035140 PMCID: PMC8244970 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2551-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A successful class of models link decision-making to brain signals by assuming that evidence accumulates to a decision threshold. These evidence accumulation models have identified neuronal activity that appears to reflect sensory evidence and decision variables that drive behavior. More recently, an additional evidence-independent and time-variant signal, called urgency, has been hypothesized to accelerate decisions in the face of insufficient evidence. However, most decision-making paradigms tested with fMRI or EEG in humans have not been designed to disentangle evidence accumulation from urgency. Here we use a face-morphing decision-making task in combination with EEG and a hierarchical Bayesian model to identify neural signals related to sensory and decision variables, and to test the urgency-gating model. Forty females and 34 males took part (mean age, 23.4 years). We find that an evoked potential time locked to the decision, the centroparietal positivity, reflects the decision variable from the computational model. We further show that the unfolding of this signal throughout the decision process best reflects the product of sensory evidence and an evidence-independent urgency signal. Urgency varied across subjects, suggesting that it may represent an individual trait. Our results show that it is possible to use EEG to distinguish neural signals related to sensory evidence accumulation, decision variables, and urgency. These mechanisms expose principles of cognitive function in general and may have applications to the study of pathologic decision-making such as in impulse control and addictive disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Perceptual decisions are often described by a class of models that assumes that sensory evidence accumulates gradually over time until a decision threshold is reached. In the present study, we demonstrate that an additional urgency signal impacts how decisions are formed. This endogenous signal encourages one to respond as time elapses. We found that neural decision signals measured by EEG reflect the product of sensory evidence and an evidence-independent urgency signal. A nuanced understanding of human decisions, and the neural mechanisms that support it, can improve decision-making in many situations and potentially ameliorate dysfunction when it has gone awry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Yau
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Thomas Hinault
- U1077 Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, École pratique des hautes études, Université de Caen Normandie, 14032 Caen, France
| | - Madeline Taylor
- Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Paul Cisek
- Département de Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H3T 1T9, Canada
| | - Lesley K Fellows
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Alain Dagher
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada
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41
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Booras A, Stevenson T, McCormack CN, Rhoads ME, Hanks TD. Change point detection with multiple alternatives reveals parallel evaluation of the same stream of evidence along distinct timescales. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13098. [PMID: 34162943 PMCID: PMC8222317 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92470-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to behave appropriately in a rapidly changing world, individuals must be able to detect when changes occur in that environment. However, at any given moment, there are a multitude of potential changes of behavioral significance that could occur. Here we investigate how knowledge about the space of possible changes affects human change point detection. We used a stochastic auditory change point detection task that allowed model-free and model-based characterization of the decision process people employ. We found that subjects can simultaneously apply distinct timescales of evidence evaluation to the same stream of evidence when there are multiple types of changes possible. Informative cues that specified the nature of the change led to improved accuracy for change point detection through mechanisms involving both the timescales of evidence evaluation and adjustments of decision bounds. These results establish three important capacities of information processing for decision making that any proposed neural mechanism of evidence evaluation must be able to support: the ability to simultaneously employ multiple timescales of evidence evaluation, the ability to rapidly adjust those timescales, and the ability to modify the amount of information required to make a decision in the context of flexible timescales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa Booras
- grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, CA USA
| | - Tanner Stevenson
- grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, CA USA
| | - Connor N. McCormack
- grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, CA USA
| | - Marie E. Rhoads
- grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, CA USA ,grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Neuroscience, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Timothy D. Hanks
- grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, CA USA ,grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Department of Neurology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA USA
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42
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Abstract
The discovery of neural signals that reflect the dynamics of perceptual decision formation has had a considerable impact. Not only do such signals enable detailed investigations of the neural implementation of the decision-making process but they also can expose key elements of the brain's decision algorithms. For a long time, such signals were only accessible through direct animal brain recordings, and progress in human neuroscience was hampered by the limitations of noninvasive recording techniques. However, recent methodological advances are increasingly enabling the study of human brain signals that finely trace the dynamics of the unfolding decision process. In this review, we highlight how human neurophysiological data are now being leveraged to furnish new insights into the multiple processing levels involved in forming decisions, to inform the construction and evaluation of mathematical models that can explain intra- and interindividual differences, and to examine how key ancillary processes interact with core decision circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Redmond G O'Connell
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland;
| | - Simon P Kelly
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland;
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43
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Tanaka M, Kunimatsu J, Suzuki TW, Kameda M, Ohmae S, Uematsu A, Takeya R. Roles of the Cerebellum in Motor Preparation and Prediction of Timing. Neuroscience 2021; 462:220-234. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.04.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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44
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Feltgen Q, Daunizeau J. An Overcomplete Approach to Fitting Drift-Diffusion Decision Models to Trial-By-Trial Data. Front Artif Intell 2021; 4:531316. [PMID: 33898982 PMCID: PMC8064018 DOI: 10.3389/frai.2021.531316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Drift-diffusion models or DDMs are becoming a standard in the field of computational neuroscience. They extend models from signal detection theory by proposing a simple mechanistic explanation for the observed relationship between decision outcomes and reaction times (RT). In brief, they assume that decisions are triggered once the accumulated evidence in favor of a particular alternative option has reached a predefined threshold. Fitting a DDM to empirical data then allows one to interpret observed group or condition differences in terms of a change in the underlying model parameters. However, current approaches only yield reliable parameter estimates in specific situations (c.f. fixed drift rates vs drift rates varying over trials). In addition, they become computationally unfeasible when more general DDM variants are considered (e.g., with collapsing bounds). In this note, we propose a fast and efficient approach to parameter estimation that relies on fitting a "self-consistency" equation that RT fulfill under the DDM. This effectively bypasses the computational bottleneck of standard DDM parameter estimation approaches, at the cost of estimating the trial-specific neural noise variables that perturb the underlying evidence accumulation process. For the purpose of behavioral data analysis, these act as nuisance variables and render the model "overcomplete," which is finessed using a variational Bayesian system identification scheme. However, for the purpose of neural data analysis, estimates of neural noise perturbation terms are a desirable (and unique) feature of the approach. Using numerical simulations, we show that this "overcomplete" approach matches the performance of current parameter estimation approaches for simple DDM variants, and outperforms them for more complex DDM variants. Finally, we demonstrate the added-value of the approach, when applied to a recent value-based decision making experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q. Feltgen
- Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié‐Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - J. Daunizeau
- Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié‐Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
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45
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Schall JD, Paré M. The unknown but knowable relationship between Presaccadic Accumulation of activity and Saccade initiation. J Comput Neurosci 2021; 49:213-228. [PMID: 33712942 DOI: 10.1007/s10827-021-00784-7] [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: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this short review is to call attention to a yawning gap of knowledge that separates two processes essential for saccade production. On the one hand, knowledge about the saccade generation circuitry within the brainstem is detailed and precise - push-pull interactions between gaze-shifting and gaze-holding processes control the time of saccade initiation, which begins when omnipause neurons are inhibited and brainstem burst neurons are excited. On the other hand, knowledge about the cortical and subcortical premotor circuitry accomplishing saccade initiation has crystalized around the concept of stochastic accumulation - the accumulating activity of saccade neurons reaching a fixed value triggers a saccade. Here is the gap: we do not know how the reaching of a threshold by premotor neurons causes the critical pause and burst of brainstem neurons that initiates saccades. Why this problem matters and how it can be addressed will be discussed. Closing the gap would unify two rich but curiously disconnected empirical and theoretical domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Schall
- Centre for Vision Research, Vision Science to Application, Department of Biology, York University, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Martin Paré
- Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and of Psychology, Queen's University, Ontario, ON K7L 3N6, Kingston, Canada
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46
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Heidari-Gorji H, Ebrahimpour R, Zabbah S. A temporal hierarchical feedforward model explains both the time and the accuracy of object recognition. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5640. [PMID: 33707537 PMCID: PMC7970968 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85198-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain can recognize different objects as ones it has previously experienced. The recognition accuracy and its processing time depend on different stimulus properties such as the viewing conditions, the noise levels, etc. Recognition accuracy can be explained well by different models. However, most models paid no attention to the processing time, and the ones which do, are not biologically plausible. By modifying a hierarchical spiking neural network (spiking HMAX), the input stimulus is represented temporally within the spike trains. Then, by coupling the modified spiking HMAX model, with an accumulation-to-bound decision-making model, the generated spikes are accumulated over time. The input category is determined as soon as the firing rates of accumulators reaches a threshold (decision bound). The proposed object recognition model accounts for both recognition time and accuracy. Results show that not only does the model follow human accuracy in a psychophysical task better than the well-known non-temporal models, but also it predicts human response time in each choice. Results provide enough evidence that the temporal representation of features is informative, since it can improve the accuracy of a biologically plausible decision maker over time. In addition, the decision bound is able to adjust the speed-accuracy trade-off in different object recognition tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamed Heidari-Gorji
- Faculty of Computer Engineering, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, P.O. Box 16785-163, Tehran, Iran
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), P.O. Box 19395-5746, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Reza Ebrahimpour
- Faculty of Computer Engineering, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, P.O. Box 16785-163, Tehran, Iran.
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), P.O. Box 19395-5746, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Sajjad Zabbah
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), P.O. Box 19395-5746, Tehran, Iran.
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47
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Espinoza-Monroy M, de Lafuente V. Discrimination of Regular and Irregular Rhythms Explained by a Time Difference Accumulation Model. Neuroscience 2021; 459:16-26. [PMID: 33549694 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Perceiving the temporal regularity in a sequence of repetitive sensory events facilitates the preparation and execution of relevant behaviors with tight temporal constraints. How we estimate temporal regularity from repeating patterns of sensory stimuli is not completely understood. We developed a decision-making task in which participants had to decide whether a train of visual, auditory, or tactile pulses, had a regular or an irregular temporal pattern. We tested the hypothesis that subjects categorize stimuli as irregular by accumulating the time differences between the predicted and observed times of sensory pulses defining a temporal rhythm. Results suggest that instead of waiting for a single large temporal deviation, participants accumulate timing-error signals and judge a pattern as irregular when the amount of evidence reaches a decision threshold. Model fits of bounded integration showed that this accumulation occurs with negligible leak of evidence. Consistent with previous findings, we show that participants perform better when evaluating the regularity of auditory pulses, as compared with visual or tactile stimuli. Our results suggest that temporal regularity is estimated by comparing expected and measured pulse onset times, and that each prediction error is accumulated towards a threshold to generate a behavioral choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisol Espinoza-Monroy
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, QRO 76230, Mexico
| | - Victor de Lafuente
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, QRO 76230, Mexico.
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48
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Peixoto D, Verhein JR, Kiani R, Kao JC, Nuyujukian P, Chandrasekaran C, Brown J, Fong S, Ryu SI, Shenoy KV, Newsome WT. Decoding and perturbing decision states in real time. Nature 2021; 591:604-609. [PMID: 33473215 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03181-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In dynamic environments, subjects often integrate multiple samples of a signal and combine them to reach a categorical judgment1. The process of deliberation can be described by a time-varying decision variable (DV), decoded from neural population activity, that predicts a subject's upcoming decision2. Within single trials, however, there are large moment-to-moment fluctuations in the DV, the behavioural significance of which is unclear. Here, using real-time, neural feedback control of stimulus duration, we show that within-trial DV fluctuations, decoded from motor cortex, are tightly linked to decision state in macaques, predicting behavioural choices substantially better than the condition-averaged DV or the visual stimulus alone. Furthermore, robust changes in DV sign have the statistical regularities expected from behavioural studies of changes of mind3. Probing the decision process on single trials with weak stimulus pulses, we find evidence for time-varying absorbing decision bounds, enabling us to distinguish between specific models of decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo Peixoto
- Neurobiology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Lisbon, Portugal. .,Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Jessica R Verhein
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Neurosciences Graduate Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Roozbeh Kiani
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan C Kao
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Electrical Engineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Neurosciences Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Paul Nuyujukian
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Electrical Engineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Bioengineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Neurosurgery Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Bio-X Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Chandramouli Chandrasekaran
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Electrical Engineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julian Brown
- Neurobiology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sania Fong
- Neurobiology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Stephen I Ryu
- Electrical Engineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Neurosurgery Department, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Krishna V Shenoy
- Neurobiology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Electrical Engineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Bioengineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Bio-X Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - William T Newsome
- Neurobiology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Bio-X Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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49
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Transfer of information across repeated decisions in general and in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2014271117. [PMID: 33443150 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2014271117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Real-life decisions are often repeated. Whether considering taking a job in a new city, or doing something mundane like checking if the stove is off, decisions are frequently revisited even if no new information is available. This mode of behavior takes a particularly pathological form in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is marked by individuals' redeliberating previously resolved decisions. Surprisingly, little is known about how information is transferred across decision episodes in such circumstances, and whether and how such transfer varies in OCD. In two experiments, data from a repeated decision-making task and computational modeling revealed that both implicit and explicit memories of previous decisions affected subsequent decisions by biasing the rate of evidence integration. Further, we replicated previous work demonstrating impairments in baseline decision-making as a function of self-reported OCD symptoms, and found that information transfer effects specifically due to implicit memory were reduced, offering computational insight into checking behavior.
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50
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Neurocomputational mechanisms of prior-informed perceptual decision-making in humans. Nat Hum Behav 2020; 5:467-481. [PMID: 33318661 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-00967-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
To interact successfully with diverse sensory environments, we must adapt our decision processes to account for time constraints and prior probabilities. The full set of decision-process parameters that undergo such flexible adaptation has proven to be difficult to establish using simplified models that are based on behaviour alone. Here, we utilize well-characterized human neurophysiological signatures of decision formation to construct and constrain a build-to-threshold decision model with multiple build-up (evidence accumulation and urgency) and delay components (pre- and post-decisional). The model indicates that all of these components were adapted in distinct ways and, in several instances, fundamentally differ from the conclusions of conventional diffusion modelling. The neurally informed model outcomes were corroborated by independent neural decision signal observations that were not used in the model's construction. These findings highlight the breadth of decision-process parameters that are amenable to strategic adjustment and the value in leveraging neurophysiological measurements to quantify these adjustments.
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