Bottlenecks, Modularity, and the Neural Control of Behavior.

ABSTRACT: In almost all animals, the transfer of information from the brain to the motor circuitry is facilitated by a relatively small number of neurons, leading to a constraint on the amount of information that can be transmitted. Our knowledge of how animals encode information through this pathway, and the consequences of this encoding, however, is limited. In this study, we use a simple feed-forward neural network to investigate the consequences of having such a bottleneck and identify aspects of the network architecture that enable robust information transfer. We are able to explain some recently observed properties of descending neurons-that they exhibit a modular pattern of connectivity and that their excitation leads to consistent alterations in behavior that are often dependent upon the des

SUBMITTER: Nande A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9020368 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature