Recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisions
Perception depends on a complex interplay between feedforward and recurrent processing. Yet, while the former has been extensively characterized, the computational organization of the latter remains largely unknown. Here, we use magneto-encephalography to localize, track and decode the feedforward a...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2020-09-01
|
| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/56603 |
| _version_ | 1811180938371006464 |
|---|---|
| author | Laura Gwilliams Jean-Remi King |
| author_facet | Laura Gwilliams Jean-Remi King |
| author_sort | Laura Gwilliams |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Perception depends on a complex interplay between feedforward and recurrent processing. Yet, while the former has been extensively characterized, the computational organization of the latter remains largely unknown. Here, we use magneto-encephalography to localize, track and decode the feedforward and recurrent processes of reading, as elicited by letters and digits whose level of ambiguity was parametrically manipulated. We first confirm that a feedforward response propagates through the ventral and dorsal pathways within the first 200 ms. The subsequent activity is distributed across temporal, parietal and prefrontal cortices, which sequentially generate five levels of representations culminating in action-specific motor signals. Our decoding analyses reveal that both the content and the timing of these brain responses are best explained by a hierarchy of recurrent neural assemblies, which both maintain and broadcast increasingly rich representations. Together, these results show how recurrent processes generate, over extended time periods, a cascade of decisions that ultimately accounts for subjects’ perceptual reports and reaction times. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T09:11:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5dc004349d474241b5c5bea06dcd4283 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T09:11:43Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-5dc004349d474241b5c5bea06dcd42832022-12-22T04:32:29ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2020-09-01910.7554/eLife.56603Recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisionsLaura Gwilliams0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9213-588XJean-Remi King1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2121-170XDepartment of Psychology, New York University, New York, United States; NYU Abu Dhabi Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Psychology, New York University, New York, United States; Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt, Germany; Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs (CNRS UMR 8248), Département d’Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Paris, FrancePerception depends on a complex interplay between feedforward and recurrent processing. Yet, while the former has been extensively characterized, the computational organization of the latter remains largely unknown. Here, we use magneto-encephalography to localize, track and decode the feedforward and recurrent processes of reading, as elicited by letters and digits whose level of ambiguity was parametrically manipulated. We first confirm that a feedforward response propagates through the ventral and dorsal pathways within the first 200 ms. The subsequent activity is distributed across temporal, parietal and prefrontal cortices, which sequentially generate five levels of representations culminating in action-specific motor signals. Our decoding analyses reveal that both the content and the timing of these brain responses are best explained by a hierarchy of recurrent neural assemblies, which both maintain and broadcast increasingly rich representations. Together, these results show how recurrent processes generate, over extended time periods, a cascade of decisions that ultimately accounts for subjects’ perceptual reports and reaction times.https://elifesciences.org/articles/56603perceptual decision makingmagnetoencephalographyrecurrencehuman braindecodingreading |
| spellingShingle | Laura Gwilliams Jean-Remi King Recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisions eLife perceptual decision making magnetoencephalography recurrence human brain decoding reading |
| title | Recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisions |
| title_full | Recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisions |
| title_fullStr | Recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisions |
| title_short | Recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisions |
| title_sort | recurrent processes support a cascade of hierarchical decisions |
| topic | perceptual decision making magnetoencephalography recurrence human brain decoding reading |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/56603 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lauragwilliams recurrentprocessessupportacascadeofhierarchicaldecisions AT jeanremiking recurrentprocessessupportacascadeofhierarchicaldecisions |