Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 12, 2026
07:05
Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents
Published on: September 10, 2018
6.5K
Temporal coding of reward-guided choice in the posterior parietal cortex
David J Hawellek1, Yan T Wong1,2, Bijan Pesaran3
1Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003.
Summary
Neural activity in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) encodes decisions differently across theta, beta, and gamma frequencies. This temporal structure reveals how distributed brain networks process choices.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Decision-making relies on complex computations across distributed brain networks.
- Understanding how these distributed networks coordinate processing remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the temporal structure of neural activity in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) influences choice encoding.
- To determine the role of different frequency bands (theta, beta, gamma) in decision-making computations.
Main Methods:
- Recorded spiking and local field potential (LFP) activity from the PPC in macaques during a decision-making task.
- Quantified mutual information between neural activity and upcoming choices.
- Analyzed the dependence of choice information on LFP phases across different frequency bands.
Main Results:
- PPC neural spiking correlated with LFP phases in theta, beta, and gamma bands.
- Choice information in neural firing varied with beta and gamma LFP phases.
- Gamma phase aligned choice information with spike count; beta phase showed a dissociation.
- Theta activity showed cross-frequency coupling with beta and gamma, indirectly influencing choice encoding.
Conclusions:
- The temporal dynamics of PPC activity, particularly across beta and gamma bands, play a critical role in encoding decisions.
- Relative timing of spiking and choice information may indicate local versus large-scale network computations.
- Discrepancies in timing patterns could signify distributed processing across brain networks.
Related Concept Videos
01:08Timing and Consequences on Behavior
566
In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective.
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...
566
01:09Decision Making: P-value Method
7.1K
The process of hypothesis testing based on the P-value method includes calculating the P- value using the sample data and interpreting it.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses: a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can...
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses: a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can...
7.1K
01:23Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
3.5K
The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
3.5K