Semi-orthogonal subspaces for value mediate a binding and generalization trade-off.

When choosing between options, we must associate their values with the actions needed to select them. We hypothesize that the brain solves this binding problem through neural population subspaces. Here, in macaques performing a choice task, we show that neural populations in five reward-sensitive regions encode the values of offers presented on the left and right in distinct subspaces.

Motor network dynamic resting state fMRI connectivity of neurotypical children in regions affected by cerebral palsy.

Background: Normative childhood motor network resting-state fMRI effective connectivity is undefined, yet necessary for translatable dynamic resting-state-network-informed evaluation in pediatric cerebral palsy.

Methods: Cross-spectral dynamic causal modeling of resting-state-fMRI was investigated in 50 neurotypically developing 5- to 13-year-old children. Fully connected six-node network models per hemisphere included primary motor cortex, striatum, subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus internus, thalamus, and contralateral cerebellum.

Control over a mixture of policies determines change of mind topology during continuous choice.

Behavior is naturally organized into categorically distinct states with corresponding patterns of neural activity; how does the brain control those states? We propose that states are regulated by specific neural processes that implement meta-control that can blend simpler control processes. To test this hypothesis, we recorded from neurons in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) while macaques performed a continuous pursuit task with two moving prey that followed evasive strategies. We used a novel control theoretic approach to infer subjects' moment-to-moment latent control variables, which in turn dictated their blend of distinct identifiable control processes.

Transcranial focused ultrasound to human rIFG improves response inhibition through modulation of the P300 onset latency.

Response inhibition in humans is important to avoid undesirable behavioral action consequences. Neuroimaging and lesion studies point to a locus of inhibitory control in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG). Electrophysiology studies have implicated a downstream event-related potential from rIFG, the fronto-central P300, as a putative neural marker of the success and timing of inhibition over behavioral responses.

Semi-orthogonal subspaces for value mediate a tradeoff between binding and generalization.

When choosing between options, we must associate their values with the action needed to select them. We hypothesize that the brain solves this binding problem through neural population subspaces. To test this hypothesis, we examined neuronal responses in five reward-sensitive regions in macaques performing a risky choice task with sequential offers.

Abstract Value Encoding in Neural Populations But Not Single Neurons.

An important open question in neuroeconomics is how the brain represents the value of offers in a way that is both abstract (allowing for comparison) and concrete (preserving the details of the factors that influence value). Here, we examine neuronal responses to risky and safe options in five brain regions that putatively encode value in male macaques. Surprisingly, we find no detectable overlap in the neural codes used for risky and safe options, even when the options have identical subjective values (as revealed by preference) in any of the regions.

Subspace orthogonalization as a mechanism for binding values to space.

When choosing between options, we must solve an important binding problem. The values of the options must be associated with information about the action needed to select them. We hypothesize that the brain solves this binding problem through use of distinct population subspaces.

Modulation of cortical beta oscillations influences motor vigor: A rhythmic TMS-EEG study.

Previous electro- or magnetoencephalography (Electro/Magneto EncephaloGraphic; E/MEG) studies using a correlative approach have shown that β (13-30 Hz) oscillations emerging in the primary motor cortex (M1) are implicated in regulating motor response vigor and associated with an anti-kinetic role, that is, slowness of movement. However, the functional role of M1 β oscillations in regulation of motor responses remains unclear. To address this gap, we combined EEG with rhythmic TMS (rhTMS) delivered to M1 at the β (20 Hz) frequency shortly before subjects performed an isometric ramp-and-hold finger force production task at three force levels.

Discerning Seizure-Onset v. Propagation Zone: Pre-and-Post-Operative Resting-State fMRI Directionality and Boerwinkle Neuroplasticity Index.

The goal of this study was to determine resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) effective connectivity (RSEC) capacity, agnostic of epileptogenic events, in distinguishing seizure onset zones (SOZ) from propagation zones (pZ). Consecutive patients (2.1-18.

The whole prefrontal cortex is premotor cortex.

We propose that the entirety of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can be seen as fundamentally premotor in nature. By this, we mean that the PFC consists of an action abstraction hierarchy whose core function is the potentiation and depotentiation of possible action plans at different levels of granularity. We argue that the apex of the hierarchy should revolve around the process of goal-selection, which we posit is inherently a form of optimization over action abstraction.

Neural correlates of visual attention during risky decision evidence integration.

Value-based decision-making is presumed to involve a dynamic integration process that supports assessing the potential outcomes of different choice options. Decision frameworks assume the value of a decision rests on both the desirability and risk surrounding an outcome. Previous work has highlighted neural representations of risk in the human brain, and their relation to decision choice.

Dexterous Object Manipulation Requires Context-Dependent Sensorimotor Cortical Interactions in Humans.

Dexterous object manipulation is a hallmark of human evolution and a critical skill for everyday activities. A previous work has used a grasping context that predominantly elicits memory-based control of digit forces by constraining where the object should be grasped. For this "constrained" grasping context, the primary motor cortex (M1) is involved in storage and retrieval of digit forces used in previous manipulations.

Neural oscillations reflect latent learning states underlying dual-context sensorimotor adaptation.

Recent studies have suggested that individuals can form multiple motor memories when simultaneously adapting to multiple, but oppositely-oriented perturbations. These findings predict that individuals detect the change in learning context, allowing the selective initialization and update of motor memories. However, previous electrophysiological studies of sensorimotor adaptation have not identified a neural mechanism supporting the detection of a context switch and adaptation to separate contexts.

Perceived heaviness in the context of Newton's Second Law: Combined effects of muscle activity and lifting kinematics.

Researchers generally agree that perceived heaviness is based on the actions associated with unsupported holding. Psychophysical research has supported this idea, as has psychophysiological research connecting muscle activity to the perceptions of heaviness and effort. However, the role of muscle activity in the context of the resulting motions has not been investigated.

Experimental control of scaling behavior: what is not fractal?

The list of psychological processes thought to exhibit fractal behavior is growing. Although some might argue that the seeming ubiquity of fractal patterns illustrates their significance, unchecked growth of that list jeopardizes their relevance. It is important to identify when a single behavior is and is not fractal in order to make meaningful conclusions about the processes underlying those patterns.

Emergent complexity matching in interpersonal coordination: Local dynamics and global variability.

Rhythmic coordination with stimuli and other people's movements containing variable or unpredictable fluctuations might involve distinct processes: detecting the fluctuation structure and tuning to or matching the structure's temporal complexity. This framework predicts that global tuning and local parameter adjustments (e.g.

Manual coordination with intermittent targets: velocity information for prospective control.

Tracking a moving target requires that information concerning the current and future state of a target is available, allowing prospective control of the tracking effector. Eye movement research has shown that prospective visual tracking is achievable during conditions of both visible and occluded targets. The ability to track visually occluded targets has been interpreted as individuals integrating target velocity into eye movement motor plans.

Stabilizing perceptual-motor asymmetries during social coordination.

The current paper presents two studies that examine how we compensate for asymmetries during interpersonal coordination. It was predicted that destabilizing effects of asymmetries are offset through the recruitment and suppression of motor degrees-of-freedom (df). In Experiment 1, this effect was examined by having participants coordinate line movements of different orientations.

Congruency effects in interpersonal coordination.

Research on interpersonal coordination has demonstrated that incongruent tasks lead to unintended movements in the orthogonal plane. These effects have been interpreted using both an embodied simulation and coordination dynamics approach. To distinguish between these two perspectives, two experiments examined whether this congruency effect is best defined spatially or anatomically.

Interpersonal Fitts' law: when two perform as one.

Intra- and interpersonal coordination was investigated using a bimanual Fitts' law task. Participants tapped rhythmically between pairs of targets. Tapping was performed with one hand (unimanual), two hands (intrapersonal coordination), and one hand together with another participant (interpersonal coordination).