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Neuronal correlates of decision-making in secondary somatosensory cortex

Nature Neuroscience volume 5, pages 1217–1225 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

The ability to discriminate between two sequential stimuli requires evaluation of current sensory information in reference to stored information. Where and how does this evaluation occur? We trained monkeys to compare two mechanical vibrations applied sequentially to the fingertips and to report which of the two had the higher frequency. We recorded single neurons in secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) while the monkeys performed the task. During the first stimulus period, the firing rate of S2 neurons encoded the stimulus frequency. During the second stimulus period, however, some S2 neurons did not merely encode the stimulus frequency. The responses of these neurons were a function of both the remembered (first) and current (second) stimulus. Moreover, a few hundred milliseconds after the presentation of the second stimulus, these responses were correlated with the monkey's decision. This suggests that some S2 neurons may combine past and present sensory information for decision-making.

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Figure 1: Discrimination task.
Figure 7: Error trials analysis: neurons that are (f2 − f1)-dependent in response to correct trials are highly correlated with the monkey's choice of button to press.
Figure 2: A representative S2 neuron with a response to the second stimulus (f2) that shifted to reflect the (f2 − f1) comparison.
Figure 3: A representative S2 neuron with an (f2 − f1)-dependence opposite to that of the neuron in Fig. 2.
Figure 4: Area S2 responses to the second stimulus depend on the previously applied first stimulus during the discrimination task.
Figure 5: Response dynamics of six example neurons from area S2.
Figure 6: Population responses gradually become aligned to the a2 = −a1 axis.

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Acknowledgements

We thank W.T. Newsome for comments and discussions. R.R.'s research was partially supported by an International Research Scholars Award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and grants from Millenium Science Initiative-CONACT and DGAPA-UNAM. R.R. led the experiments and carried them out together with A.H., A.Z. and L.L.; C.B. and A.H. designed and carried out the data analysis; C.B. and R.R. co-wrote the paper.

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  1. Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-253, México, 04510, D.F., México

    Ranulfo Romo, Adrián Hernández, Antonio Zainos & Luis Lemus

  2. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Rd., Cold Spring Harbor, 11724, New York, USA

    Carlos D. Brody

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  1. Ranulfo Romo
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Correspondence to Ranulfo Romo.

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Romo, R., Hernández, A., Zainos, A. et al. Neuronal correlates of decision-making in secondary somatosensory cortex. Nat Neurosci 5, 1217–1225 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn950

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