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Content-specific evidence accumulation in inferior temporal cortex during perceptual decision-making
Joshua J Tremel1, Mark E Wheeler2
1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Neuroimage
|January 7, 2015
Summary
Neural activity in specific brain regions accumulates perceptual evidence during decision-making. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study shows evidence accumulation is stimulus-specific, supporting integration-to-boundary models.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Decision Science
Background:
- Neuronal activity reflects time-integrated evidence during perceptual decisions, potentially serving as decision variables.
- Translating millisecond-timescale neural signals to human decision-making via functional neuroimaging (fMRI) is challenging.
- Previous fMRI studies show neural activity patterns consistent with evidence accumulation, but stimulus specificity remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether accumulating neural signals measured by fMRI are stimulus-specific during a perceptual decision task.
- To determine if distinct brain regions accumulate evidence from specific perceptual sources.
- To test the integration-to-boundary decision mechanism using fMRI and cognitive modeling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an extended face/house discrimination task.
- Employed cognitive modeling to define and analyze accumulation signals.
- Measured accumulation signals using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), defined as changes in activation slope correlated with response time (RT).
Main Results:
- fMRI activity in face- and house-selective inferior temporal cortex regions increased proportionally to decision time for the preferred stimulus.
- Accumulation signals exhibited higher slopes correlating with faster response times (RTs).
- Several brain regions showed decision-related functions consistent with domain generality.
Conclusions:
- Stimulus-specific brain regions, such as those in the inferior temporal cortex, integrate perceptual evidence during goal-directed behavior.
- Different sources of evidence appear to be accumulated separately in distinct brain regions.
- Findings support an integration-to-boundary decision mechanism involving both domain-specific and domain-general brain regions.
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