Using single-neuron recordings in the human brain to inform cognitive models of error monitoring

利用人脑中的单神经元记录为错误监控的认知模型提供信息

• 批准号: 2219800
• 负责人: Ueli Rutishauser
• 金额: $ 93.49万
• 依托单位: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2219800&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Using; single; neuron; recordings; human

How do we monitor our actions? We notice quickly when we dial a wrong number, get off the elevator at the wrong floor, blurt out something inappropriate, or send an email that we really didn’t mean to send, even when no one tells us that we made a mistake. These behaviors are everyday examples of monitoring our own performance, which is critical for us to learn from our mistakes. Although external feedback can also play an important role in monitoring our actions, remarkably, noticing that we made an error often occurs from self-monitoring alone. This research project utilizes rare opportunities to record individual human brain cells to decipher how the brain achieves this extraordinary feat. Determining how the brain enables us to detect our own errors is of broad significance because it may enable us to develop new training and teaching strategies to help those who fail to detect their own errors or, conversely, are overly sensitive to their own mistakes. Also, it will provide fundamental knowledge about the brain mechanisms underlying error-monitoring that may facilitate the development of a non-invasive biomarker that might allow us to assess the success or failure of training strategies and also enable the creation of artificial intelligence systems with better abilities at performance monitoring. The research team is involved in several outreach educational activities to under-represented groups aimed at providing enrichment classes at the middle and high school level, to teach students about exciting recent advances in cognitive neuroscience, and also bringing opportunities for STEM research experiences in neuroscience for high school and undergraduate students.To understand how the brain enables us to detect our own errors, this proposal aims to test the predictions of three prominent theories of error monitoring. While these theories are at the core of a large number of studies in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, we do not know at present which (if any) of these theories actually reflects how our brain enables this critical ability of performance monitoring. Motivated by their recent discovery of single neurons which signal error in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the human brain, the research team will examine the response of individual mPFC neurons (in patients being monitored for epilepsy prior to neurosurgery to remove epileptic brain tissue, who have volunteered to participate in this study). Participants will perform cognitive tasks to test the differing predictions of the three extant theories which may resolve which theory is correct. Along with the single neuron recordings from the mPFC, researchers will also simultaneously record scalp and intercranial EEG. These tandem recording techniques will be especially useful for understanding the neural basis of the error related negativity (ERN), which is a frequently studied scalp EEG component. Combined with novel quantitative methods, the researchers expect to gain a mechanistic understanding of how the human brain monitors errors. The researchers also plan to begin development of an accurate computational model of how the human mPFC monitors errors incorporating insights gained from the research in this proposal.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

我们如何监控我们的行为？当我们拨打错误的号码、在错误的楼层下电梯、脱口而出一些不恰当的话，或者发送一封我们实际上不想发送的电子邮件时，即使没有人告诉我们我们犯了一个错误，我们也会很快注意到。这些行为是监控我们自己表现的日常例子，这对于我们从错误中吸取教训至关重要。尽管外部反馈也可以在监控我们的行为方面发挥重要作用，但值得注意的是，仅仅通过自我监控就经常会注意到我们犯了错误。该研究项目利用难得的机会记录单个人类脑细胞，以破译大脑如何实现这一非凡的壮举。确定大脑如何使我们能够发现自己的错误具有广泛的意义，因为它可能使我们能够开发新的培训和教学策略，以帮助那些未能发现自己的错误或相反对自己的错误过于敏感的人。此外，它将提供有关错误监控背后的大脑机制的基础知识，这可能有助于开发非侵入性生物标记物，使我们能够评估训练策略的成功或失败，并能够创建具有更好的性能监控能力的人工智能系统。研究团队参与了多项面向弱势群体的外展教育活动，旨在为初高中水平提供强化课程，向学生传授认知神经科学方面令人兴奋的最新进展，并为高中生和本科生提供神经科学领域 STEM 研究经验的机会。为了了解大脑如何使我们能够发现自己的错误，本提案旨在测试三种著名的错误监控理论的预测。虽然这些理论是心理学和认知神经科学领域大量研究的核心，但我们目前不知道这些理论中的哪一个（如果有的话）实际上反映了我们的大脑如何实现这种关键的绩效监控能力。受到最近在人脑内侧前额叶皮层 (mPFC) 中发出错误信号的单个神经元的发现的启发，研究小组将检查单个 mPFC 神经元的反应（在神经外科手术去除癫痫脑组织之前接受癫痫监测，这些患者自愿参加这项研究）。参与者将执行认知任务来测试三种现有理论的不同预测，这可能会确定哪种理论是正确的。除了 mPFC 的单个神经元记录外，研究人员还将同时记录头皮和颅内脑电图。这些串联记录技术对于理解错误相关负性（ERN）的神经基础特别有用，ERN 是经常研究的头皮脑电图成分。结合新颖的定量方法，研究人员希望能够从机制上理解人脑如何监控错误。研究人员还计划开始开发一个准确的计算模型，用于结合本提案中研究中获得的见解，了解人类 mPFC 如何监控错误。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。