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. In this eLife article we published in collaboration with Jonathan Rubin, Timothy Verstynen (Pittsburgh, PA) et al, we used in silico experiments to generate predictions and 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.
To know more:
- Krista Bond, Javier Rasero, Raghav Madan, Jyotika Bahuguna, Jonathan Rubin, Timothy Verstynen (2023) Competing neural representations of choice shape evidence accumulation in humans. eLife 12:e85223.