History-based action selection bias in posterior parietal cortex

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01356-z
• Publication Date: 2017-10-26T14:22:47Z
• Authors: Eun Jung Hwang; Jeffrey E. Dahlen; Madan Mukundan; Takaki Komiyama
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Science; Biological Psychology; Q; Decision Making; Neurosciences; 610; Basic Behavioral and Social Science; Choice Behavior; Article; Discrimination Learning; Optogenetics; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Parietal Lobe; Behavioral and Social Science; Neurological; Psychology; Animals; Calcium; Selection Bias

AbstractMaking decisions based on choice-outcome history is a crucial, adaptive ability in life. However, the neural circuit mechanisms underlying history-dependent decision-making are poorly understood. In particular, history-related signals have been found in many brain areas during various decision-making tasks, but the causal involvement of these signals in guiding behavior is unclear. Here we addressed this issue utilizing behavioral modeling, two-photon calcium imaging, and optogenetic inactivation in mice. We report that a subset of neurons in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) closely reflect the choice-outcome history and history-dependent decision biases, and PPC inactivation diminishes the history dependency of choice. Specifically, many PPC neurons show history- and bias-tuning during the inter-trial intervals (ITI), and history dependency of choice is affected by PPC inactivation during ITI and not during trial. These results indicate that PPC is a critical region mediating the subjective use of history in biasing action selection.