Decision-making and action selection in insects: inspiration from vertebrate-based theories

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
Andrew B BarronJames A R Marshall

Abstract

Effective decision-making, one of the most crucial functions of the brain, entails the analysis of sensory information and the selection of appropriate behavior in response to stimuli. Here, we consider the current state of knowledge on the mechanisms of decision-making and action selection in the insect brain, with emphasis on the olfactory processing system. Theoretical and computational models of decision-making emphasize the importance of using inhibitory connections to couple evidence-accumulating pathways; this coupling allows for effective discrimination between competing alternatives and thus enables a decision maker to reach a stable unitary decision. Theory also shows that the coupling of pathways can be implemented using a variety of different mechanisms and vastly improves the performance of decision-making systems. The vertebrate basal ganglia appear to resolve stable action selection by being a point of convergence for multiple excitatory and inhibitory inputs such that only one possible response is selected and all other alternatives are suppressed. Similar principles appear to operate within the insect brain. The insect lateral protocerebrum (LP) serves as a point of convergence for multiple excitatory and inhib...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 20, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Andrew B Barron, Colin Klein
Oct 25, 2016·ELife·Verónica María Corrales-CarvajalCarlos Ribeiro
Oct 17, 2018·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Martyna J GrabowskaBruno van Swinderen
Mar 17, 2021·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Andreas Nieder
Jun 19, 2021·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Muzahid IslamKen Cheng
Jul 16, 2021·Brain, Behavior and Evolution·Markus ThammRicarda Scheiner

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