Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6267248 | Current Opinion in Neurobiology | 2012 | 6 Pages |
The brain constructs representations of objects and concepts based in sensory information combined with experience. This mental process, that we call perception, is the result of a chain of events consisting of phenomena such as detection, memory, discrimination, categorization and decision-making. Although the phenomenon of perception is not necessarily dependent on a given sensory modality (e.g. visual perception, auditory, tactile), single sensory models are indispensable for studying the neural mechanisms that generate it. The somatosensory system is a suitable model for studying the manner in which presentation of a single physical variable (e.g. vibration) triggers a perceptual process. Here, we discuss some recent studies in the somatosensory system that in our view, constitute a breakthrough to understanding decision making.
⺠Sensory activity increasingly predicts behavior across the processing hierarchy. ⺠Decisions are made by comparing past and current sensory information. ⺠Comparison is observed in early sensory areas such as S2. ⺠A subtraction of oppositely tuned populations underlies frequency discrimination. ⺠Decision related activity emerges in parietal and frontal cortical circuits.