A tweaking principle for executive control: neuronal circuit mechanism for rule-based task switching and conflict resolution

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
Salva Ardid, Xiao-Jing Wang

Abstract

A hallmark of executive control is the brain's agility to shift between different tasks depending on the behavioral rule currently in play. In this work, we propose a "tweaking hypothesis" for task switching: a weak rule signal provides a small bias that is dramatically amplified by reverberating attractor dynamics in neural circuits for stimulus categorization and action selection, leading to an all-or-none reconfiguration of sensory-motor mapping. Based on this principle, we developed a biologically realistic model with multiple modules for task switching. We found that the model quantitatively accounts for complex task switching behavior: switch cost, congruency effect, and task-response interaction; as well as monkey's single-neuron activity associated with task switching. The model yields several testable predictions, in particular, that category-selective neurons play a key role in resolving sensory-motor conflict. This work represents a neural circuit model for task switching and sheds insights in the brain mechanism of a fundamental cognitive capability.

Citations

Dec 3, 2014·Current Opinion in Neurobiology·Hendrikje Nienborg, Pieter R Roelfsema
Jun 11, 2016·Neural Networks : the Official Journal of the International Neural Network Society·Weijie YeYuguo Yu
Jun 13, 2015·PLoS Computational Biology·Kai UeltzhöfferChristian J Fiebach
Apr 14, 2018·Neural Computation·Matias CalderiniJean-Philippe Thivierge
Apr 10, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Salva ArdidNancy Kopell
Nov 9, 2019·PLoS Computational Biology·R Becket EbitzBenjamin Y Hayden
Apr 27, 2017·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Danesh Shahnazian, Clay B Holroyd
Jun 21, 2020·Neurobiology of Learning and Memory·Jason SherfeyNancy J Kopell

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