Neural correlates of perceptual judgments emerge only in the frontal lobe

Evidence

We will take the position that auditory objects are analogous to perceptual representations (i.e., sounds) (Bizley and Cohen 2013 ). As a consequence of this definition, if a neuron encodes an auditory object, it should be modulated by a listener’s perceptual reports. That is, by holding a stimulus constant and testing whether neural activity is modulated by a listener’s reports, neural activity that is associated with the acoustic features of the stimulus can be dissociated from neural activity associated with the perceptual report. Thus, neurons with complex tuning properties or even those modulated by components of a task (Brosch et al. 2005 ; Fritz et al. 2005 ) may contribute to the construction of a perceptual representation; but by themselves do not offer direct evidence of a perceptual representation. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4886 (#contradicts, via linked claim)

Selective representation of relevant information by neurons in the primate prefrontal cortex … Gregor Rainer, Wael F. Asaad & Earl K. Miller Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and The Center for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . The severe limitation of the capacity of working memory, the ability to store temporarily and manipulate information1, necessitates mechanisms that restrict access to it. Here we report tests to discover whether the activity of neurons in the prefrontal (PF) cortex, the putative neural correlate of working memory2–8, might reflect these mechanisms and preferentially represent behaviourally relevant information. Monkeys performed a ‘delayed-matching-to-sample’ task with an array of three objects. Only one of the objects in the array was relevant for task performance and the monkeys needed to find that object (the target) and remember its location. For many PF neurons, activity to physically identical arrays varied with the target location; the location of the non-target objects had little or no influence on activity. Information about the target location was present in activity as early as 140 ms after array onset. Also, information about which object was the target was reflected in the sustained activity of many PF neurons. These results suggest that the prefrontal cortex is involved in selecting and maintaining behaviourally relevant information. — Nowak, M. A., & Sigmund, K, Evolution of Indirect Reciprocity by…, 124 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Prefrontal cortex neurons selectively represent only task-relevant information — Nowak, M. A., & Sigmund, K, Evolution of Indirect Reciprocity by…, 124; Neural evidence of encoding auditory objects requires modulation by perceptual reports — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4886; Neural encoding of perception is evidenced by modulation tied to listener reports

Related

• Prefrontal cortex neurons selectively represent only task-relevant information (similarity 0.88)
• Neural decision correlates appear only in frontal cortex, not auditory cortex (similarity 0.84)
• Neural encoding of perception is evidenced by modulation tied to listener reports (similarity 0.83)
• Auditory perceptual decisions are encoded diffusely across frontal and parietal cortex. (similarity 0.83)
• Neural evidence of encoding auditory objects requires modulation by perceptual reports (similarity 0.83)
• Neural evidence for sound-object encoding requires holding the stimulus constant (similarity 0.80)
• Auditory ventral-pathway processing is hierarchical, with decisions arising only in frontal cortex. (similarity 0.80)
• AL belt neurons encode auditory evidence that drives perceptual decisions (similarity 0.79)
• Holding stimuli constant while varying perceptual reports can dissociate sensory from perceptual neural activity (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Neural evidence of encoding auditory objects requires modulation by perceptual reports #contradicts (0.80) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4886
• Neural encoding of perception is evidenced by modulation tied to listener reports #contradicts (0.80)
• Prefrontal cortex neurons selectively represent only task-relevant information #qualifies (0.75) — Nowak, M. A., & Sigmund, K, Evolution of Indirect Reciprocity by…, 124