Post
Decisions under uncertainty are a coordinated action of PFC, pre/motor, BG, and thalamus.
This model could explain decision-making and impairments by hyperactive D2 receptors.
We can clarify the paper by building a mouse with schizophrenia.
Here is my toy model and notes:
Traditionally, the basal ganglia and cortex were seen as separate systems for habit and planning.
This study proposes the thalamus acts as a critical bridge, orchestrating how these systems interact to handle uncertainty.
Core result:
They found the brain uses specialized circuits for different types of uncertainty, linked hierarchically by the thalamus.
Disrupting this link mimics schizophrenia symptoms, causing the mouse to perceive volatility where none exists.
Let's unpack this:
Imagine a mouse in a T maze with a red 🟥 and a blue 🟦 side.
In this world the rules flip between:
Context A: get a reward 70% of the times if go 🟥
Context B: gets a reward 70% of the times if go 🟦.
The mouse faces two puzzles:
which arm pays out right now?, and
have the hidden rules changed?
A "Gambler" circuit is formed by:
The basal ganglia "notebook": stores payout probabilities as full distributions, not just averages.
Premotor cortex: samples from these notes to explore options when the outcome is uncertain.
Motor cortex: compares values and takes action.
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