title: Encoding and decoding in parietal cortex during sensorimotor decision-making.
abstract: It has been suggested that the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) of macaques plays a fundamental role in sensorimotor decision-making. We examined the neural code in LIP at the level of individual spike trains using a statistical approach based on generalized linear models. We found that LIP responses reflected a combination of temporally overlapping task- and decision-related signals. Our model accounts for the detailed statistics of LIP spike trains and accurately predicts spike trains from task events on single trials. Moreover, we derived an optimal decoder for heterogeneous, multiplexed LIP responses that could be implemented in biologically plausible circuits. In contrast with interpretations of LIP as providing an instantaneous code for decision variables, we found that optimal decoding requires integrating LIP spikes over two distinct timescales. These analyses provide a detailed understanding of neural representations in LIP and a framework for studying the coding of multiplexed signals in higher brain areas.
authors.affiliation: 1] Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [2] Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [3] Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Il Memming
authors.identifier: 0000000242557750
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [2] Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Miriam L R
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Meister
authors.affiliation: 1] Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [2] Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [3] Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [4] Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.identifier: 0000000314306935
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Huk
authors.affiliation: 1] Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [2] Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [3] Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [4] Department of Statistics and Data Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Pillow
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation