Representation of a perceptual bias in the prefrontal cortex

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 121; no. 50; p. e2312831121
• Main Authors: Serrano-Fernández, Luis, Beirán, Manuel, Romo, Ranulfo, Parga, Néstor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 10.12.2024
• Subjects: Animals; Bayes Theorem; Bayesian analysis; Bias; Biological Sciences; Discrimination, Psychological - physiology; Frequency analysis; Knowledge representation; Macaca mulatta; Male; Neurons - physiology; Prefrontal cortex; Prefrontal Cortex - physiology; Sensory stimulation; Somatosensory cortex; state-space geometry; perceptual biases; Bayesian computations; decision-making; prefrontal cortex
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312831121

Perception is influenced by sensory stimulation, prior knowledge, and contextual cues, which collectively contribute to the emergence of perceptual biases. However, the precise neural mechanisms underlying these biases remain poorly understood. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing neural recordings from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of monkeys performing a vibrotactile frequency discrimination task. Our findings provide empirical evidence supporting the hypothesis that perceptual biases can be reflected in the neural activity of the PFC. We found that the state-space trajectories of PFC neuronal activity encoded a warped representation of the first frequency presented during the task. Remarkably, this distorted representation of the frequency aligned with the predictions of its Bayesian estimator. The identification of these neural correlates expands our understanding of the neural basis of perceptual biases and highlights the involvement of the PFC in shaping perceptual experiences. Similar analyses could be employed in other delayed comparison tasks and in various brain regions to explore where and how neural activity reflects perceptual biases during different stages of the trial.