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The role of fluctuations in perception
1Instituciò Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Department of Technology, Computational Neuroscience, Passeig de Circumval.laciò, 8, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. gustavo.deco@upf.edu
Trends in Neurosciences
|October 1, 2008
Summary
Neuronal noise, arising from probabilistic spiking times, plays a crucial role in brain function. This study reveals that this "spiking noise" influences decision-making and perceptual judgments in somatosensory tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Traditional models often overlook the role of noise in neural processing.
- Probabilistic neuronal spiking is a fundamental aspect of brain activity.
- Understanding noise's impact is key to deciphering complex brain functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the advantageous role of neuronal noise in brain function.
- To explore how spiking noise influences the dynamics of cortical networks.
- To link neuronal activity fluctuations to psychophysically quantified behaviors in a somatosensory detection task.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of recent results linking brain activity and behavior.
- Focus on near-threshold stimulus presentation in a somatosensory task.
- Examination of neuronal fluctuations in different cortical areas.
Main Results:
- Behavioral outcomes for near-threshold stimuli depend on neuronal fluctuations in central, not just early, sensory cortices.
- Perceptual detection is correlated with a noise-driven transition in a multistable neurodynamical system.
- Neuronal fluctuations contribute to probabilistic decision-making.
Conclusions:
- Neuronal noise is not merely a byproduct but an advantageous feature of brain processing.
- Spiking noise enables probabilistic behavior, crucial for decision-making.
- This highlights the importance of considering noise in models of neural computation and perception.
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