Targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial-limited data.

Rapidly developing technology for large scale neural recordings has allowed researchers to measure the activity of hundreds to thousands of neurons at single cell resolution in vivo. Neural decoding analyses are a widely used tool used for investigating what information is represented in this comple...

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Main Authors: Charles R Heller, Stephen V David
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2022-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271136
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author Charles R Heller
Stephen V David
author_facet Charles R Heller
Stephen V David
author_sort Charles R Heller
collection DOAJ
description Rapidly developing technology for large scale neural recordings has allowed researchers to measure the activity of hundreds to thousands of neurons at single cell resolution in vivo. Neural decoding analyses are a widely used tool used for investigating what information is represented in this complex, high-dimensional neural population activity. Most population decoding methods assume that correlated activity between neurons has been estimated accurately. In practice, this requires large amounts of data, both across observations and across neurons. Unfortunately, most experiments are fundamentally constrained by practical variables that limit the number of times the neural population can be observed under a single stimulus and/or behavior condition. Therefore, new analytical tools are required to study neural population coding while taking into account these limitations. Here, we present a simple and interpretable method for dimensionality reduction that allows neural decoding metrics to be calculated reliably, even when experimental trial numbers are limited. We illustrate the method using simulations and compare its performance to standard approaches for dimensionality reduction and decoding by applying it to single-unit electrophysiological data collected from auditory cortex.
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spelling doaj.art-d547c64071814360880dfe99487206362022-12-22T00:59:20ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01177e027113610.1371/journal.pone.0271136Targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial-limited data.Charles R HellerStephen V DavidRapidly developing technology for large scale neural recordings has allowed researchers to measure the activity of hundreds to thousands of neurons at single cell resolution in vivo. Neural decoding analyses are a widely used tool used for investigating what information is represented in this complex, high-dimensional neural population activity. Most population decoding methods assume that correlated activity between neurons has been estimated accurately. In practice, this requires large amounts of data, both across observations and across neurons. Unfortunately, most experiments are fundamentally constrained by practical variables that limit the number of times the neural population can be observed under a single stimulus and/or behavior condition. Therefore, new analytical tools are required to study neural population coding while taking into account these limitations. Here, we present a simple and interpretable method for dimensionality reduction that allows neural decoding metrics to be calculated reliably, even when experimental trial numbers are limited. We illustrate the method using simulations and compare its performance to standard approaches for dimensionality reduction and decoding by applying it to single-unit electrophysiological data collected from auditory cortex.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271136
spellingShingle Charles R Heller
Stephen V David
Targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial-limited data.
PLoS ONE
title Targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial-limited data.
title_full Targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial-limited data.
title_fullStr Targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial-limited data.
title_full_unstemmed Targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial-limited data.
title_short Targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial-limited data.
title_sort targeted dimensionality reduction enables reliable estimation of neural population coding accuracy from trial limited data
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271136
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AT stephenvdavid targeteddimensionalityreductionenablesreliableestimationofneuralpopulationcodingaccuracyfromtriallimiteddata