On the Cramér-Rao bound applicability and the role of Fisher information in computational neuroscience.

Neuronal systems exhibit impressive capabilities in decision making and action coordination by employing the encoded information about both external and internal environments. Despite the tremendous effort of neuroscientists, the exact nature of the neuronal code remains elusive. Various experimental and theoretical techniques have been used to resolve the question in recent decades, with methods of signal estimation and detection theory playing an important part.

Performance breakdown in optimal stimulus decoding.

Objective: One of the primary goals of neuroscience is to understand how neurons encode and process information about their environment. The problem is often approached indirectly by examining the degree to which the neuronal response reflects the stimulus feature of interest.

Approach: In this context, the methods of signal estimation and detection theory provide the theoretical limits on the decoding accuracy with which the stimulus can be identified.