Decision-related activity in sensory neurons reflects more than a neuron's causal effect.

ABSTRACT: During perceptual decisions, the activity of sensory neurons correlates with a subject's percept, even when the physical stimulus is identical. The origin of this correlation is unknown. Current theory proposes a causal effect of noise in sensory neurons on perceptual decisions, but the correlation could result from different brain states associated with the perceptual choice (a top-down explanation). These two schemes have very different implications for the role of sensory neurons in forming decisions. Here we use white-noise analysis to measure tuning functions of V2 neurons associated with choice and simultaneously measure how the variation in the stimulus affects the subjects' (two macaques) perceptual decisions. In causal models, stronger effects of the stimulus upon decisions, media

SUBMITTER: Nienborg H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2917918 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature