Flexible sensorimotor computations through rapid reconfiguration of cortical dynamics

Abstract

SummarySensorimotor computations can be flexibly adjusted according to internal states and contextual inputs. The mechanisms supporting this flexibility are not understood. Here, we tested the utility of a dynamical system perspective to approach this problem. In a dynamical system whose state is determined by interactions among neurons, computations can be rapidly and flexibly reconfigured by controlling the system‘s inputs and initial conditions. To investigate whether the brain employs such control strategies, we recorded from the dorsomedial frontal cortex (DMFC) of monkeys trained to measure time intervals and subsequently produce timed motor responses according to multiple context-specific stimulus-response rules. Analysis of the geometry of neural states revealed a control mechanism that relied on the system‘s inputs and initial conditions. A tonic input specified by the behavioral context adjusted firing rates throughout each trial, while the dynamics in the measurement epoch allowed the system to establish initial conditions for the ensuing production epoch. This initial condition in turn set the speed of neural dynamics in the production epoch allowing the animal to aim for the target interval. These results provide evidence that the language of dynamical systems can be used to parsimoniously link brain activity to sensorimotor computations.