The Effects of Population Tuning and Trial-by-Trial Variability on Information Encoding and Behavior

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0859-19.2019
• Publication Date: 2019-11-21T22:49:18Z
• Authors: Ramon Nogueira; Nicole E. Peltier; Akiyuki Anzai; Gregory C. DeAngelis; Julio Martínez-Tr...; Rubén Moreno-Bote
• Keywords: Affect

Identifying the features of population responses that are relevant to amount information encoded by neuronal populations is a crucial step toward understanding coding. Statistical features, such as tuning properties, individual and shared response variability, global activity modulations, could all affect modulate behavioral performance. We show two in particular information: modulation across conditions (population signal) inverse covariability along axis (projected precision). demonstrate fluctuations these quantities correlated with performance various tasks brain regions consistently 4 monkeys (1 female 1 male Macaca mulatta ; 2 fascicularis ). In contrast, mean correlations among neurons have negligible or inconsistent effects on also differential reduce finite reducing projected precision. Our results consistent predictions model optimally decodes produce behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The last three decades research seen hot debates about what trial-by-trial variability influence carried neurons, some camps arguing, for instance, pairwise important while other report opposite results. this study, we identify most neural determine combining analytic calculations novel nonparametric method allows us isolate different statistical features. tested our hypothesis macaques, decision-making tasks, areas. theory were agreement experimental data.