title: Perceptual learning rules based on reinforcers and attention.
abstract: How does the brain learn those visual features that are relevant for behavior? In this article, we focus on two factors that guide plasticity of visual representations. First, reinforcers cause the global release of diffusive neuromodulatory signals that gate plasticity. Second, attentional feedback signals highlight the chain of neurons between sensory and motor cortex responsible for the selected action. We here propose that the attentional feedback signals guide learning by suppressing plasticity of irrelevant features while permitting the learning of relevant ones. By hypothesizing that sensory signals that are too weak to be perceived can escape from this inhibitory feedback, we bring attentional learning theories and theories that emphasized the importance of neuromodulatory signals into a single, unified framework.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neurosciences, an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. p.roelfsema@nin.knaw.nl
authors.forename: Pieter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Roelfsema
authors.forename: Arjen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Ooyen
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D025461:Feedback, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D011601:Psychophysics; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*