AUTHOR=Huk Alexander , Meister Miriam L.

TITLE=Neural correlates and neural computations in posterior parietal cortex during perceptual decision-making

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2012

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/integrative-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnint.2012.00086

DOI=10.3389/fnint.2012.00086

ISSN=1662-5145

ABSTRACT=<p>A recent line of work has found remarkable success in relating perceptual decision-making and the spiking activity in the macaque lateral intraparietal area (LIP). In this review, we focus on questions about the neural <italic>computations</italic> in LIP that are not answered by demonstrations of neural <italic>correlates</italic> of psychological processes. We highlight three areas of limitations in our current understanding of the precise neural computations that might underlie neural correlates of decisions: (1) <italic>empirical questions</italic> not yet answered by existing data; (2) <italic>implementation issues</italic> related to how neural circuits could actually implement the mechanisms suggested by both extracellular neurophysiology and psychophysics; and (3) <italic>ecological constraints</italic> related to the use of well-controlled laboratory tasks and whether they provide an accurate window on sensorimotor computation. These issues motivate the adoption of a more general “encoding-decoding framework” that will be fruitful for more detailed contemplation of how neural computations in LIP relate to the formation of perceptual decisions.</p>