Uncovering the neural architecture underlying decisions abstracted from movements

项目摘要 决策是正常和异常认知功能的核心组成部分。了解 决策的神经机制将导致诊断、分类和未来的进步 影响思维和控制的障碍的治疗。决策过程的数学模型， 基于有限的证据积累，经过几十年的发展，正在 越来越多地被利用来更深入地了解由一系列因素引起的认知缺陷的根源 脑部疾病。然而，在我们对神经机制的理解上仍然存在重大差距。 负责决策，从而限制了模型的有效性和实用性。一条成功的线路 关于知觉决策的研究发现，顶叶和前额叶中的神经元 恒河猴(Macaca Mulatta)的大脑皮质编码了与 另类选择。这些观察主要来自猕猴皮质中的神经元，这些神经元是 与准备报告决策的动作(如手部或眼部运动)相关 另类选择。然而，决策的形成往往不知道他们可能会采取什么行动 在这种情况下，效应器选择性神经活动似乎并不反映蓄积。 动力学。最近的研究发现，在非侵入性疾病中存在一种新的“抽象”决策信号 来自人类决策者的电生理(EEG)记录。这一信号被称为中央 顶层正性(CPP)，代表决策证据的积累，而不考虑 对任务的感觉或运动要求，因此命名为抽象的。神经回路 CPP的产生可能解释了将决策与各种行动灵活联系起来的能力 这取决于背景和目标。然而，因为到目前为止，这种信号只在脑电中观察到 人类的录音，它的神经基础是未知的。提议的目标将(1)建立神经 在单神经元、多神经元、局域场中建立CPP类似物的基础 猕猴的电位和脑电以及(2)通过使用 接受神经外科手术的患者的神经成像和皮层脑电图(ECoG)。这两个目标 利用集成的计算成果，将生物物理建模、神经网络和 决策过程的数学表征。通过这些活动获得的知识 调查将增加我们对核心认知能力的理解，而核心认知能力的不足是导致 在弥合人类与非人类长期存在的方法学差距的同时，对主要的大脑疾病进行研究 动物调查。

Project Abstract Decision making is a core component of normal and abnormal cognitive function. Understanding the neural mechanisms of decision-making will lead to advances in the diagnosis, classification and future treatments of disorders affecting thought and control. Mathematical models of the decision process, based on bounded evidence accumulation, have been developed over decades and are being increasingly leveraged to gain deeper insights into the origins of cognitive deficits arising from a range of brain disorders. However, major gaps remain in our understanding of the neural mechanisms responsible for decision-making, thereby limiting the validity and utility of the models. A successful line of research on perceptual decision-making has established that neurons in the parietal and prefrontal cortex of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) encode the accumulating evidence bearing on the alternatives. These observations are mainly from neurons in areas of the macaque cortex that are associated with preparation of the actions (e.g. hand or eye movements) for reporting the decision alternatives. However, decisions are often formed without knowledge of what actions they might call for, and under such conditions, effector-selective neural activity does not appear to reflect accumulation dynamics. Recent studies, have identified a novel ‘abstract’ decision signal in non-invasive electrophysiological (EEG) recordings from human decision makers. The signal, termed the central parietal positivity (CPP), represents the accumulation of evidence for decisions irrespective of the sensory or motor requirements of the task, hence the designation, abstract. The neural circuits that give rise to the CPP are likely to explain the capacity to flexibly link decisions to various actions depending on context and goals. However, because the signal has thus far only been observed in EEG recordings from humans, its neural basis is unknown. The proposed aims will (1) establish the neural underpinnings of the CPP by establishing its analogues in single-neuron, multi-neuron, local field potentials and EEG of the macaque and (2) localizing its source in humans through the use of neuroimaging, and electrocorticography (ECoG) from patients undergoing neurosurgery. Both aims draw on an integrated computational effort that combines biophysical modeling, neural networks, and mathematical characterization of the decision process. The knowledge gained through these investigations will increase our understanding of core cognitive capacities whose deficiency contributes to major brain disorders while bridging long-standing methodological gaps in human versus non-human animal investigations.