Neural correlates and neural computations in posterior parietal cortex during perceptual decision-making

Abstract

A recent line of work has found remarkable success in relating perceptual decision-making and the spiking activity in the macaque lateral intraparietal area (LIP). In this review, we focus on questions about the neural computations in LIP that are not answered by demonstrations of neural correlates of psychological processes. We highlight three areas of limitations in our current understanding of the precise neural computations that might underlie neural correlates of decisions: (1) empirical questions not yet answered by existing data; (2) implementation issues related to how neural circuits could actually implement the mechanisms suggested by both extracellular neurophysiology and psychophysics; and (3) ecological constraints related to the use of well-controlled laboratory tasks and whether they provide an accurate window on sensorimotor computation. These issues motivate the adoption of a more general “encoding-decoding framework” that will be fruitful for more detailed contemplation of how neural computations in LIP relate to the formation of perceptual decisions.

Power Spectral Density Analysis of Electrocorticogram Recordings during Cerebral Hypothermia in Neonatal Seizures

“…Numerous experiments in non-human primate models reveal activation of the parietal cortex in a variety of cognitive functions, such as numerosity [23] , categorization [24] , and decision-making [25] . EEG and MEG studies have yielded consistent evidence on the time course of parietal mnemonic activation [26] .…”

Dynamic weighting of multisensory stimuli shapes decision-making in rats and humans

“…For example, moving predators emit a time-varying stream of auditory and visual signals, the dynamics of which are informative about the animal's trajectory and identity (Maier, Chandrasekaran, & Ghazanfar, 2008;Thomas & Shiffrar, 2010). The behavioral and neural mechanisms relevant for decisions about time-varying signals within one modality have been extensively studied (Cisek, Puskas, & El-Murr, 2009;Gold & Shadlen, 2007;Huk & Meister, 2012). However, the effect of dynamic stimuli on multisensory integration is only just beginning to be studied.…”

Cognitive functions of the posterior parietal cortex

“…A series of experiments in non-human primate models similarly reveal activation of the posterior parietal cortex in a variety of cognitive functions, such as numerosity (Roitman et al, 2012), categorization (Fitzgerald et al, 2012), and decision-making (Huk and Meister, 2012). Spatial signals are present and shape peri-personal shape and limb movements (Hadjidimitrakis et al, 2012), however, spatial information also forms an abstract spatial representation that can be decoupled from sensorimotor control (Chafee and Crowe, 2012).…”