Perceptual decision-making in primates

Abstract

Neuroscience Past investigations of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in perceptual decisions tested only its contribution to motor aspects of decisions. However, Zhou and Freedman tested the primate PPC's role in both sensory and motor aspects of decisions. Inactivation of the lateral intraparietal area strongly impaired sensory processing aspects of decision-making, more so than motor aspects. Lateral intraparietal area neurons targeted for inactivation were highly correlated with the monkeys' trial-by-trial decisions about stimuli in the neurons' receptive fields. Thus, the posterior parietal cortex is indeed involved in decision-making but plays a more sensory role than predicted. Science , this issue p. [180][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaw8347