Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Perceptual decision making is a fundamental cognitive process widely studied in the behavioural sciences (Gold & Shadlen, 2007;Wang, 2008).We present a novel, biologically plausible model of visual motion processing and perceptual decision making, which is independent of the number of choice categories or alternatives.The implementation is presented in the form of a large-scale spiking neural circuit consisting of three main processes: 1) a velocity filter that uses the principle of oscillator interference to determine the direction and speed of pattern motion using networks of V1 simple cells; 2) a retinotopic representation of motion evidence in the middle temporal area (MT); and 3) competition-less integration of sensory 'evidence' over time by a higher-dimensional attractor network in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP).The mechanisms employed in 1) and 3) are new.We demonstrate the model by reproducing behavioral and neural results from classic perceptual decision making experiments that test the perceived direction of motion of variable coherence dot kinetograms.Specifically, these results capture monkey data from two-alternative forced-choice motion decision tests.We note that without any reconfiguration of the circuit, the implementation can be used to make decisions among a continuum of alternatives.
Authors: Aziz Hurzook, Oliver Trujillo, Chris Eliasmith
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2401772041