Prediction-error neurons in circuits with multiple neuron types: Formation, refinement, and functional implications.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Published Date:

Abstract

SignificanceAn influential idea in neuroscience is that neural circuits do not only passively process sensory information but rather actively compare them with predictions thereof. A core element of this comparison is prediction-error neurons, the activity of which only changes upon mismatches between actual and predicted sensory stimuli. While it has been shown that these prediction-error neurons come in different variants, it is largely unresolved how they are simultaneously formed and shaped by highly interconnected neural networks. By using a computational model, we study the circuit-level mechanisms that give rise to different variants of prediction-error neurons. Our results shed light on the formation, refinement, and robustness of prediction-error circuits, an important step toward a better understanding of predictive processing.

Authors

  • Loreen Hertäg
    Bioengineering Department, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
  • Claudia Clopath
    Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, Royal School of Mines, London, SW7 2AZ, UK. c.clopath@imperial.ac.uk.