Perceptual detection as a dynamical bistability phenomenon: a neurocomputational correlate of sensation

Recent studies that combined psychophysical/neurophysiological experiments [de Lafuente V, Romo R (2005) Nat Neurosci 8:1698-1703] analyzed the responses from single neurons, recorded in several cortical areas of parietal and frontal lobes, while trained monkeys reported the presence or absence of a mechanical vibration of varying amplitude applied to skin of one fingertip. The analysis showed that the activity of primary somatosensory cortex neurons covaried with the stimulus strength but did not covary with the animal's perceptual reports. In contrast, the activity of medial premotor cortex (MPC) neurons did not covary with the stimulus strength but did covary with the animal's perceptual reports. Here, we address the question of how perceptual detection is computed in MPC. In particular, we regard perceptual detection as a bistable neurodynamical phenomenon reflected in the activity of MPC. We show that the activity of MPC is consistent with a decision-making-like scenario of fluctuation-driven computation that causes a probabilistic transition between two bistable states, one corresponding to the case in which the monkey detects the sensory input, the other corresponding to the case in which the monkey does not. Moreover, the high variability activity of MPC neurons both within and between trials reflects stochastic fluctuations that may play a crucial role in the monkey's probabilistic perceptual reports.