Rational regulation of learning dynamics by pupil-linked arousal systems

• Published in: Nature neuroscience Vol. 15; no. 7; pp. 1040 - 1046
• Main Authors: Nassar, Matthew R, Rumsey, Katherine M, Wilson, Robert C, Parikh, Kinjan, Heasly, Benjamin, Gold, Joshua I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.07.2012; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/378/116/2393; 631/378/1595; 631/443/376; Adult; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Arousal - physiology; Behavioral Sciences; Biological Techniques; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Female; Human subjects; Humans; Learning - physiology; Male; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; Photic Stimulation - methods; Physiological aspects; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Pupil (Eye); Pupil - physiology; Vision; Young Adult; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 1097-6256; 1546-1726; 1546-1726
• DOI: 10.1038/nn.3130

The ability to make inferences about the current state of a dynamic process requires ongoing assessments of the stability and reliability of data generated by that process. Here the authors report that these assessments were reflected in pupil diameter changes, suggesting that pupil-linked arousal systems can help regulate the influence of incoming data on existing beliefs. The ability to make inferences about the current state of a dynamic process requires ongoing assessments of the stability and reliability of data generated by that process. We found that these assessments, as defined by a normative model, were reflected in nonluminance-mediated changes in pupil diameter of human subjects performing a predictive-inference task. Brief changes in pupil diameter reflected assessed instabilities in a process that generated noisy data. Baseline pupil diameter reflected the reliability with which recent data indicate the current state of the data-generating process and individual differences in expectations about the rate of instabilities. Together these pupil metrics predicted the influence of new data on subsequent inferences. Moreover, a task- and luminance-independent manipulation of pupil diameter predictably altered the influence of new data. Thus, pupil-linked arousal systems can help to regulate the influence of incoming data on existing beliefs in a dynamic environment.