Learning to optimize perceptual decisions through suppressive interactions in the human brain.
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Authors
Publication Date
2019-01-28Journal Title
Nat Commun
ISSN
2041-1723
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
474
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Physical Medium
Electronic
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Frangou, P., Emir, U. E., Karlaftis, V. M., Nettekoven, C., Hinson, E. L., Larcombe, S., Bridge, H., et al. (2019). Learning to optimize perceptual decisions through suppressive interactions in the human brain.. Nat Commun, 10 (1), 474. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08313-y
Abstract
Translating noisy sensory signals to perceptual decisions is critical for successful interactions in complex environments. Learning is known to improve perceptual judgments by filtering external noise and task-irrelevant information. Yet, little is known about the brain mechanisms that mediate learning-dependent suppression. Here, we employ ultra-high field magnetic resonance spectroscopy of GABA to test whether suppressive processing in decision-related and visual areas facilitates perceptual judgments during training. We demonstrate that parietal GABA relates to suppression of task-irrelevant information, while learning-dependent changes in visual GABA relate to enhanced performance in target detection and feature discrimination tasks. Combining GABA measurements with functional brain connectivity demonstrates that training on a target detection task involves local connectivity and disinhibition of visual cortex, while training on a feature discrimination task involves inter-cortical interactions that relate to suppressive visual processing. Our findings provide evidence that learning optimizes perceptual decisions through suppressive interactions in decision-related networks.
Keywords
Brain, Visual Cortex, Humans, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Photic Stimulation, Learning, Visual Perception, Decision Making, Judgment, Adult, Female, Male, Young Adult
Relationships
Related research output: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.33382
Sponsorship
This work was supported by
717 funding to ZK from the Alan Turing Institute, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
718 Research Council (Grants: H012508, P021255), the European Community’s Seventh
719 Framework Programme (Grant FP7/ 2007–2013 under agreement PITN-GA 2011-290011),
720 and the Wellcome Trust (Grant 205067). CJS holds a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, funded by
721 the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society (102584/Z/13/Z). ELH is supported by the NIHR
722 Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre. The Wellcome Centre for Integrative
723 Neuroimaging is supported by core funding from the Wellcome Trust (203139/Z/16/Z).
Funder references
European Commission (290011)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/P021255/1)
Wellcome Trust (205067/Z/16/Z)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08313-y
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/288508
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