Posterior parietal cortex plays a causal role in perceptual and categorical decisions.
Saved in:
| Title: | Posterior parietal cortex plays a causal role in perceptual and categorical decisions. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Zhou, Yang (AUTHOR), Freedman, David J. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Science (pre-March 2025). 7/12/2019, Vol. 365 Issue 6449, p180-185. 6p. 4 Diagrams. |
| Subjects: | Parietal lobe, Visual discrimination, Decision making in animals, Laboratory monkeys, Motor ability, Saccadic eye movements |
| Abstract: | Posterior parietal cortex (PPC) activity correlates with monkeys’ decisions during visual discrimination and categorization tasks. However, recent work has questioned whether decision-correlated PPC activity plays a causal role in such decisions. That study focused on PPC’s contribution to motor aspects of decisions (deciding where to move), but not sensory evaluation aspects (deciding what you are looking at). We employed reversible inactivation to compare PPC’s contributions to motor and sensory aspects of decisions. Inactivation affected both aspects of behavior, but preferentially impaired decisions when visual stimuli, rather than motor response targets, were in the inactivated visual field. This demonstrates a causal role for PPC in decision-making, with preferential involvement in evaluating attended task-relevant sensory stimuli compared with motor planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Science (pre-March 2025) is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Posterior parietal cortex (PPC) activity correlates with monkeys’ decisions during visual discrimination and categorization tasks. However, recent work has questioned whether decision-correlated PPC activity plays a causal role in such decisions. That study focused on PPC’s contribution to motor aspects of decisions (deciding where to move), but not sensory evaluation aspects (deciding what you are looking at). We employed reversible inactivation to compare PPC’s contributions to motor and sensory aspects of decisions. Inactivation affected both aspects of behavior, but preferentially impaired decisions when visual stimuli, rather than motor response targets, were in the inactivated visual field. This demonstrates a causal role for PPC in decision-making, with preferential involvement in evaluating attended task-relevant sensory stimuli compared with motor planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 00368075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.aaw8347 |
