New paper in Neuron
A new study published in Neuron and led by MetaLab postdoc Dan Bang in collaboration with Ken Kishida (Wake Forest University) and Read Montague (Virginia Tech) has revealed novel neuromodulator contributions to perceptual decision-making in humans. Dan combined a perceptual decision-making task with a rare opportunity to study neuromodulator fluctuations in patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. A novel method called “fast scan cyclic voltammetry” allows for the real-time measurement of neuromodulators such as dopamine and serotonin. In one part of the striatum (caudate nucleus), Dan found that serotonin levels rapidly increased when perceptual uncertainty was high. In another part of the striatum (putamen), both dopamine and serotonin were found to trigger the action that indicated a patient’s decision.
In our previous work using this task together with brain imaging, we focused on how different parts of cortex supports computations of sensory uncertainty and decision confidence. But brain imaging is normally blind to neuromodulator levels. Here, by collaborating with the fantastic teams at Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, we have now gotten a unique insight into how these neurochemicals contribute to the decision process.
More details about the study can be found in this news article on the WCHN website.
