Residual population dynamics as a window into neuralcomputation

Neural activity in frontal and motor cortices can be consideredto be the manifestation of a dynamical system implemented by large neuralpopulations in recurrently connected networks. The computations emerging fromsuch population-level dynamics reflect the interaction between external inputsinto a network and its internal, recurrent dynamics. Isolating these twocontributions in experimentally recorded neural activity, however, ischallenging, limiting the resulting insights into neural computations. I willpresent an approach to addressing this challenge based on response residuals,i.e. variability in the population trajectory across repetitions of the sametask condition. A complete characterization of residual dynamics is well-suitedto systematically compare computations across brain areas and tasks, and leadsto quantitative predictions about the consequences of small, arbitrary causalperturbations.

Valerio Mante´s Worldwideneuro Theory Forum