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Updated: Jan 17, 2026
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A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons
Published on: November 9, 2018
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Transitions in dynamical regime and neural mode during perceptual decisions
Thomas Zhihao Luo1,2, Timothy Doyeon Kim3,4,5, Diksha Gupta6,7
1Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. luo@utah.edu.
Nature
|September 17, 2025
Summary
Neural dynamics reveal distinct phases during decision-making. A transition point, the neurally inferred time of commitment (nTc), marks when the brain commits to a choice, independent of external timing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Perceptual decision-making involves complex neuronal network dynamics.
- Understanding the precise neural mechanisms and timing of decision commitment is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To uncover decision-related neural dynamics in the rat frontal cortex and striatum.
- To identify the neural basis of decision commitment and its timing.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous recordings of hundreds of neurons.
- Unsupervised deep-learning methods to analyze neural activity.
- Development of a simplified model to estimate neurally inferred time of commitment (nTc).
Main Results:
- Neural trajectories showed two sequential regimes: sensory-driven and autonomous dynamics.
- A transition in neural mode, orthogonal to the initial phase, was observed.
- The neurally inferred time of commitment (nTc) varied across trials and predicted behavioral outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Decision commitment involves a rapid transition in neural dynamical regimes and modes.
- The neurally inferred time of commitment (nTc) serves as a neural marker for internal brain state changes.
- Evidence processing before nTc influences decisions, while evidence after does not.
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