scholarly journals Behavioural and neural indices of perceptual decision-making in autistic children during visual motion tasks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Manning ◽  
Cameron Dale Hassall ◽  
Laurence Hunt ◽  
Anthony Norcia ◽  
Eric-Jan Wagenmakers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Decision Time ◽  
Motion Processing ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Diffusion Modelling ◽  
Evidence Accumulation

Many studies report atypical responses to sensory information in autistic individuals, yet it is not clear which stages of processing are affected, with little consideration given to decision-making processes. We combined diffusion modelling with high-density EEG to identify which processing stages differ between 50 autistic and 50 typically developing children aged 6-14 years during two visual motion tasks. Our pre-registered hypotheses were that autistic children would show task-dependent differences in sensory evidence accumulation, alongside a more cautious decision-making style and longer non-decision time across tasks. We tested these hypotheses using hierarchical Bayesian diffusion models with a rigorous blind modelling approach, finding no conclusive evidence for our hypotheses. Using a data-driven method, we identified a response-locked centro-parietal component previously linked to the decision-making process. The build-up in this component did not consistently relate to evidence accumulation in autistic children. This suggests that the relationship between the EEG measure and diffusion-modelling is not straightforward in autistic children. Compared to a related study of children with dyslexia, motion processing differences appear less pronounced in autistic children. Our results also provide weak evidence that ADHD symptoms moderate perceptual decision-making in autistic children.

scholarly journals Unification of Countermanding and Perceptual Decision-making

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. Middlebrooks ◽  
Bram B. Zandbelt ◽  
Gordon D. Logan ◽  
Thomas J. Palmeri ◽  
Jeffrey D. Schall
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Sequential Sampling ◽  
Race Model ◽  
Decision Time ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Sequential Sampling Models ◽  
Choice Tasks

Perceptual decision-making, studied using two-alternative forced-choice tasks, is explained by sequential sampling models of evidence accumulation, which correspond to the dynamics of neurons in sensorimotor structures of the brain1 2. Response inhibition, studied using stop-signal (countermanding) tasks, is explained by a race model of the initiation or canceling of a response, which correspond to the dynamics of neurons in sensorimotor structures3 4. Neither standard model accounts for performance of the other task. Sequential sampling models incorporate response initiation as an uninterrupted non-decision time parameter independent of task-related variables. The countermanding race model does not account for the choice process. Here we show with new behavioral, neural and computational results that perceptual decision making of varying difficulty can be countermanded with invariant efficiency, that single prefrontal neurons instantiate both evidence accumulation and response inhibition, and that an interactive race between two GO and one STOP stochastic accumulator fits countermanding choice behavior. Thus, perceptual decision-making and response control, previously regarded as distinct mechanisms, are actually aspects of more flexible behavior supported by a common neural and computational mechanism. The identification of this aspect of decision-making with response production clarifies the component processes of decision-making.

scholarly journals The Functional Anatomy of a Perceptual Decision in the Human Brain

2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 1179-1194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew S. Kayser ◽  
Bradley R. Buchsbaum ◽  
Drew T. Erickson ◽  
Mark D'Esposito
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Functional Anatomy ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Visuomotor Integration ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Accumulator Models

Our ability to make rapid decisions based on sensory information belies the complexity of the underlying computations. Recently, “accumulator” models of decision making have been shown to explain the activity of parietal neurons as macaques make judgments concerning visual motion. Unraveling the operation of a decision-making circuit, however, involves understanding both the responses of individual components in the neural circuitry and the relationships between them. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study of the decision process in humans, we demonstrate that an accumulator model predicts responses to visual motion in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). Significantly, the metrics used to define responses within the IPS also reveal distinct but interacting nodes in a circuit, including early sensory detectors in visual cortex, the visuomotor integration system of the IPS, and centers of cognitive control in the prefrontal cortex, all of which collectively define a perceptual decision-making network.

scholarly journals Comparison of decision-related signals in sensory and motor preparatory responses of neurons in Area LIP

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Shushruth ◽  
Mark Mazurek ◽  
Michael N. Shadlen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Related Activity ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Association Area ◽  
Dot Motion ◽  
Sensory Responses ◽  
Motor Actions

ABSTRACTNeurons in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) of Macaques exhibit both sensory and oculomotor preparatory responses. During perceptual decision making, the preparatory responses have been shown to track the state of the evolving evidence leading to the decision. The sensory responses are known to reflect categorical properties of visual stimuli, but it is not known if these responses also track evolving evidence. We compared sensory and oculomotor-preparatory responses in the same neurons during a direction discrimination task when either the discriminandum (random dot motion) or an eye movement choice-target was in the neuron’s response field. Both configurations elicited task related activity, but only the motor preparatory responses reflected evidence accumulation. The results are consistent with the proposal that evolving decision processes are supported by persistent neural activity in the service of actions or intentions, as opposed to high order representations of stimulus properties.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTPerceptual decision making is the process of choosing an appropriate motor action based on perceived sensory information. Association areas of the cortex play an important role in this sensory-motor transformation. The neurons in these areas show both sensory- and motor-related activity. We show here that, in the macaque parietal association area LIP, signatures of the process of evidence accumulation that underlies the decisions are predominantly reflected in the motor-related activity. This finding supports the proposal that perceptual decision making is implemented in the brain as a process of choosing between available motor actions rather than as a process of representing the properties of the sensory stimulus.

scholarly journals Sensor-Level Wavelet Analysis Reveals EEG Biomarkers of Perceptual Decision-Making

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2461
Author(s):  
Alexander Kuc ◽  
Vadim V. Grubov ◽  
Vladimir A. Maksimenko ◽  
Natalia Shusharina ◽  
Alexander N. Pisarchik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Perceptual Process ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Band Power ◽  
Sensory Features

Perceptual decision-making requires transforming sensory information into decisions. An ambiguity of sensory input affects perceptual decisions inducing specific time-frequency patterns on EEG (electroencephalogram) signals. This paper uses a wavelet-based method to analyze how ambiguity affects EEG features during a perceptual decision-making task. We observe that parietal and temporal beta-band wavelet power monotonically increases throughout the perceptual process. Ambiguity induces high frontal beta-band power at 0.3–0.6 s post-stimulus onset. It may reflect the increasing reliance on the top-down mechanisms to facilitate accumulating decision-relevant sensory features. Finally, this study analyzes the perceptual process using mixed within-trial and within-subject design. First, we found significant percept-related changes in each subject and then test their significance at the group level. Thus, observed beta-band biomarkers are pronounced in single EEG trials and may serve as control commands for brain-computer interface (BCI).

A Neural Index of Inefficient Evidence Accumulation in Dyslexia Underlying Slow Perceptual Decision Making

Cortex ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole R. Stefanac ◽  
Shou-Han Zhou ◽  
Megan M. Spencer-Smith ◽  
Redmond O’Connell ◽  
Mark A. Bellgrove
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Evidence Accumulation

Pupil-Linked Arousal Biases Evidence Accumulation Toward Desirable Percepts During Perceptual Decision-Making

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 1494-1509
Author(s):  
Yuan Chang Leong ◽  
Roma Dziembaj ◽  
Mark D’Esposito
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Categorization Task ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Perceptual Judgments ◽  
Significant Events ◽  
Arousal System ◽  
Objective Representation

People’s perceptual reports are biased toward percepts they are motivated to see. The arousal system coordinates the body’s response to motivationally significant events and is well positioned to regulate motivational effects on perceptual judgments. However, it remains unclear whether arousal would enhance or reduce motivational biases. Here, we measured pupil dilation as a measure of arousal while participants ( N = 38) performed a visual categorization task. We used monetary bonuses to motivate participants to perceive one category over another. Even though the reward-maximizing strategy was to perform the task accurately, participants were more likely to report seeing the desirable category. Furthermore, higher arousal levels were associated with making motivationally biased responses. Analyses using computational models suggested that arousal enhanced motivational effects by biasing evidence accumulation in favor of desirable percepts. These results suggest that heightened arousal biases people toward what they want to see and away from an objective representation of the environment.

scholarly journals Catecholamine Modulation of Evidence Accumulation during Perceptual Decision Formation: A Randomized Trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1044-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard M. Loughnane ◽  
Méadhbh B. Brosnan ◽  
Jessica J. M. Barnes ◽  
Angela Dean ◽  
Sanjay L. Nandam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Behavioral Effect ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Double Blinded ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Catecholamine Levels

Recent behavioral modeling and pupillometry studies suggest that neuromodulatory arousal systems play a role in regulating decision formation but neurophysiological support for these observations is lacking. We employed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design to probe the impact of pharmacological enhancement of catecholamine levels on perceptual decision-making. Catecholamine levels were manipulated using the clinically relevant drugs methylphenidate and atomoxetine, and their effects were compared with those of citalopram and placebo. Participants performed a classic EEG oddball paradigm that elicits the P3b, a centro-parietal potential that has been shown to trace evidence accumulation, under each of the four drug conditions. We found that methylphenidate and atomoxetine administration shortened RTs to the oddball targets. The neural basis of this behavioral effect was an earlier P3b peak latency, driven specifically by an increase in its buildup rate without any change in its time of onset or peak amplitude. This study provides neurophysiological evidence for the catecholaminergic enhancement of a discrete aspect of human decision-making, that is, evidence accumulation. Our results also support theoretical accounts suggesting that catecholamines may enhance cognition via increases in neural gain.

scholarly journals Making up your mind: Enhanced perceptual decision-making induced by stochastic resonance during non-invasive brain stimulation: Stochastic resonance in perceptual decision-making

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onno van der Groen ◽  
Matthew F. Tang ◽  
Nicole Wenderoth ◽  
Jason B. Mattingley
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Stochastic Resonance ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Neural Noise ◽  
Stimulation Of

Summary:Perceptual decision-making relies on the gradual accumulation of noisy sensory evidence until a specified boundary is reached and an appropriate response is made. It might be assumed that adding noise to a stimulus, or to the neural systems involved in its processing, would interfere with the decision process. But it has been suggested that adding an optimal amount of noise can, under appropriate conditions, enhance the quality of subthreshold signals in nonlinear systems, a phenomenon known as stochastic resonance. Here we asked whether perceptual decisions obey these stochastic resonance principles by adding noise directly to the visual cortex using transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) while participants judged the direction of motion in foveally presented random-dot motion arrays. Consistent with the stochastic resonance account, we found that adding tRNS bilaterally to visual cortex enhanced decision-making when stimuli were just below, but not well below or above, perceptual threshold. We modelled the data under a drift diffusion framework to isolate the specific components of the multi-stage decision process that were influenced by the addition of neural noise. This modelling showed that tRNS increased drift rate, which indexes the rate of evidence accumulation, but had no effect on bound separation or non-decision time. These results were specific to bilateral stimulation of visual cortex; control experiments involving unilateral stimulation of left and right visual areas showed no influence of random noise stimulation. Our study is the first to provide causal evidence that perceptual decision-making is susceptible to a stochastic resonance effect induced by tRNS, and that this effect arises from selective enhancement of the rate of evidence accumulation for sub-threshold sensory events.

scholarly journals Visual motion and decision-making in dyslexia: Evidence of reduced accumulation of sensory evidence and related neural dynamics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Manning ◽  
Cameron D Hassall ◽  
Laurence T Hunt ◽  
Anthony M Norcia ◽  
Eric-Jan Wagenmakers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Motion Processing ◽  
Global Motion ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Visual Motion Processing ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Sensory Evidence

Children with and without dyslexia differ in their behavioural responses to visual information, particularly when required to pool dynamic signals over space and time. Importantly, multiple processes contribute to behavioural responses. Here we investigated which processing stages are affected in children with dyslexia when performing visual motion processing tasks, by combining two methods that are sensitive to the dynamic processes leading to responses. We used a diffusion model which decomposes response time and accuracy into distinct cognitive constructs, and high-density EEG. 50 children with dyslexia and 50 typically developing children aged 6 to 14 years judged the direction of motion as quickly and accurately as possible in two global motion tasks, which varied in their requirements for segregating signal-from-noise. Following our pre-registered analyses, we fitted hierarchical Bayesian diffusion models to the data, blinded to group membership. Unblinding revealed reduced evidence accumulation in children with dyslexia compared to typical children for both tasks. We also identified a response-locked EEG component which was maximal over centro-parietal electrodes which indicated a neural correlate of reduced drift-rate in dyslexia, thereby linking brain and behaviour. We suggest that children with dyslexia are slower to extract sensory evidence from global motion displays, regardless of whether they are required to segregate signal-from-noise, thus furthering our understanding of atypical perceptual decision-making processes in dyslexia.

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