CAREER: Discovering the role of inhibition in predictive routing using dense laminar neurophysiology in macaques and humans

Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN

Investigators

Abstract

The brain constantly makes predictions about the environment. Thus, what we perceive is not only a result of the sensory information available to our sense organs. Instead, our prior knowledge and beliefs have a powerful influence. This "predictive processing" view of the mind and brain has the potential to explain our cognitive capacities and could provide the basis for better treatments for brain disorders such as schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia may rely too heavily on prior beliefs, which overwhelm sensory information to create hallucinations. But how the brain performs prediction is not well understood. In this project state-of-the-art brain recordings are performed as both human and animals use predictions during a computer-controlled task. The highly detailed recordings and the ability to compare the response of neurons across humans and animals can allow better understanding of how neurons contribute to prediction and how their response alters perception. This research aims to elucidate the role of an important type of neuron for predictive processing, inhibitory neurons. As their name implies, inhibitory neurons make it less likely that other neurons become excited. The core hypothesis of the proposed work is that when the brain makes predictions, inhibitory neurons become more active, reducing the processing and energy used on processing of information that is already anticipated. Taking advantage of new technology, thousands of neurons are recorded in both humans and animals to gather information about how the inhibitory neurons behave during prediction. This project aims to collect unprecedented data about how predictions are made in the brain, potentially transforming our understanding of the brain in both healthy and disease states. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.