Rafal Bogacz

Department of Computer Science

University of Bristol

http://www.cs.bris.ac.uk/~rafal/

Friday, September 11

12:00-1:30 pm

Optimal decision making in the cortico-basal-ganglia circuit

It has been proposed that during choice tasks based on sensory

information cortical regions integrate evidence supporting alternative

responses, and the basal ganglia act as a central switch resolving the

competition between the cortical areas. This talk will show that many

aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the circuit involving the

cortex and basal ganglia are exactly those required to implement the

computation defined by an optimal statistical test for decision making

between multiple alternatives. In particular, it will be shown that the

equation describing this test can be mapped onto the functional anatomy

of a circuit involving the cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus. This

theory provides many precise and counterintuitive experimental

predictions, ranging from neurophysiology to behaviour. Some of these

predictions have been already validated in existing data.