Competing neural representations of choice shape evidence accumulation in humans

Making adaptive choices in dynamic environments requires flexible decision policies. Previously, we showed how shifts in outcome contingency change the evidence accumulation process that determines decision policies. Using in silico experiments to generate predictions, here we show how the cortico-b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:eLife 2023-10, Vol.12
Main Authors: Bond, Krista, Rasero, Javier, Madan, Raghav, Bahuguna, Jyotika, Rubin, Jonathan, Verstynen, Timothy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Basal ganglia
Basal Ganglia - physiology
Circuits
Competition
cortico-basal-ganglia network
Decision making
Decision Making - physiology
Dopamine receptors
exploration
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Humans
Mammals
Neuroscience
Probability
Research Advance
Thalamus
uncertainty
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Summary:Making adaptive choices in dynamic environments requires flexible decision policies. Previously, we showed how shifts in outcome contingency change the evidence accumulation process that determines decision policies. Using in silico experiments to generate predictions, here we show how the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic (CBGT) circuits can feasibly implement shifts in decision policies. When action contingencies change, dopaminergic plasticity redirects the balance of power, both within and between action representations, to divert the flow of evidence from one option to another. When competition between action representations is highest, the rate of evidence accumulation is the lowest. This prediction was validated in in vivo experiments on human participants, using fMRI, which showed that (1) evoked hemodynamic responses can reliably predict trial-wise choices and (2) competition between action representations, measured using a classifier model, tracked with changes in the rate of evidence accumulation. These results paint a holistic picture of how CBGT circuits manage and adapt the evidence accumulation process in mammals.
ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/ELIFE.85223