History-dependent variability in population dynamics during evidence accumulation in cortex.

ABSTRACT: We studied how the posterior parietal cortex combines new information with ongoing activity dynamics as mice accumulate evidence during a virtual navigation task. Using new methods to analyze population activity on single trials, we found that activity transitioned rapidly between different sets of active neurons. Each event in a trial, whether an evidence cue or a behavioral choice, caused seconds-long modifications to the probabilities that govern how one activity pattern transitions to the next, forming a short-term memory. A sequence of evidence cues triggered a chain of these modifications resulting in a signal for accumulated evidence. Multiple distinguishable activity patterns were possible for the same accumulated evidence because representations of ongoing events were influenced b

SUBMITTER: Morcos AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5127723 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature