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The predictive processing embodied in brain conditions: the role of precision
A B Lao-Rodríguez1,2,3, S Cacciato-Salcedo1,2,3, M S Malmierca1,2,3
1Cognitive and Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory (CANELAB), Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y León, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Frontiers in Psychology
|August 6, 2026
Summary
The brain minimizes prediction errors using precision weighting, which involves estimating signal reliability. Maladaptive precision allocation, influenced by neuromodulators, may underlie psychopathology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Predictive coding theory explains brain function via hierarchical inference and prediction error minimization.
- Precision weighting, estimating signal reliability, is crucial for predictive coding's explanatory power.
- Altered precision allocation links to psychological and psychiatric issues like distorted inference and inflexible behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of precision weighting in predictive coding.
- To investigate the influence of neuromodulatory systems on precision regulation.
- To frame psychopathology as a disorder of embodied precision regulation.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical review integrating predictive coding, precision weighting, and neuromodulation.
- Analysis of neurotransmitter roles (acetylcholine, dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin) in modulating inference.
- Conceptual framework linking precision dysregulation to psychopathology.
Main Results:
- Precision weighting is as vital as prediction generation in predictive coding.
- Neuromodulatory systems differentially regulate precision, impacting perception, learning, and action.
- Psychiatric conditions may stem from disrupted neuromodulatory control over precision.
Conclusions:
- Precision regulation is a key mechanism in predictive coding and brain function.
- Neuromodulators are critical for adaptive precision weighting.
- Psychopathology can be understood as a failure of embodied precision regulation.
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