Neural Correlates of Cognition in Primary Visual versus Neighboring Posterior Cortices during Visual Evidence-Accumulation-based Navigation

Koay, S. A.; Thiberge, S. Y.; Brody, C.; Tank, D. W.

doi:10.1101/568766

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/568766

Neural Correlates of Cognition in Primary Visual versus Neighboring Posterior Cortices during Visual Evidence-Accumulation-based Navigation

Koay, S. A.·Thiberge, S. Y.·Brody, C.·Tank, D. W.

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Abstract

Studies of perceptual decision-making have often assumed that the main role of sensory cortices is to provide sensory input to downstream processes that accumulate and drive behavioral decisions. We performed a systematic comparison of neural activity in primary visual (V1) to secondary visual and retrosplenial cortices, as mice performed a task where they should accumulate pulsatile visual cues through time to inform a navigational decision. Even in V1, only a small fraction of neurons had sensory-like responses to cues. Instead, in all areas neurons were sequentially active, and contained information ranging from sensory to cognitive, including cue timings, evidence, place/time, decision and reward outcome. Per-cue sensory responses were amplitude-modulated by various cognitive quantities, notably accumulated evidence. This inspired a multiplicative feedback-loop circuit hypothesis that proposes a more intricate role of sensory areas in the accumulation process, and furthermore explains a surprising observation that perceptual discrimination deviates from Weber-Fechner Law.\n\nHighlights / eTOC BlurbO_LIMice made navigational decisions based on accumulating pulsatile visual cues\nC_LIO_LIThe bulk of neural activity in visual cortices was sequential and beyond-sensory\nC_LIO_LIAccumulated pulse-counts modulated sensory (cue) responses, suggesting feedback\nC_LIO_LIA feedback-loop neural circuit explains behavioral deviations from Webers Law\nC_LI\n\nIn a task where navigation was informed by accumulated pulsatile visual evidence, neural activity in visual cortices predominantly coded for cognitive variables across multiple timescales, including outside of a visual processing context. Even sensory responses to visual pulses were amplitude-modulated by accumulated pulse counts and other variables, inspiring a multiplicative feedback-loop circuit hypothesis that in turn explained behavioral deviations from Weber-Fechner Law.

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Koay, S. A., Thiberge, S. Y., Brody, C., Tank, D. W.. 2019-03-06. Neural Correlates of Cognition in Primary Visual versus Neighboring Posterior Cortices during Visual Evidence-Accumulation-based Navigation. https://doi.org/10.1101/568766

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