Abstract
We propose a model that includes interactions between the cortex, the basal ganglia (BG), and the thalamus based on a dual competition. We hypothesize that the striatum, the subthalamic nucleus (STN), the internal globus pallidus (GPi), the thalamus, and the cortex are involved in closed feedback loops through the hyperdirect and direct pathways. These loops support a competition process that results in the ability of BG to make a cognitive decision followed by a motor one. Considering lateral cortical interactions, another competition takes place inside the cortex allowing the latter to make a cognitive and a motor decision. We show how this dual competition endows the model with two regimes. One is driven by reinforcement learning and the other by Hebbian learning. The final decision is made according to a combination of these two mechanisms with a gradual transfer from the former to the latter. We confirmed these theoretical results on primates (Macaca mulatta) using a novel paradigm predicted by the model.
Footnotes
T.B. is a regular staff member the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and N.R. is a regular staff member of Institut National de la Recherche en Informatique (INRIA). All other authors declare no competing financial interests.
This work was supported by the Agence Nationale pour la Recherche Grant ANR-09-SYSC-002-03 and the Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). The Laboratory of Excellency BRAIN supported the Primate Research Platform. M.T. was supported by a grant from INRIA (14333-2012). D.K. was supported by the Uehara Memorial Foundation and a fellowship from the French government.
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