Latent Inputs Improve Estimates of Neural Encoding in Motor Cortex英文文献.pdfVIP

The Journal of Neuroscience, October 13, 2010 • 30(41):13873–13882 • 13873 Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive Latent Inputs Improve Estimates of Neural Encoding in Motor Cortex Steven M. Chase,1,2,3 Andrew B. Schwartz,2,3 and Robert E. Kass1,3 1 2 Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, and 3Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 Typically, tuning curves in motor cortex are constructed by fitting the firing rate of a neuron as a function of some observed action, such as arm direction or movement speed. These tuning curves are then often interpreted causally as representing the firing rate as a function of the desired movement, or intent. This interpretation implicitly assumes that the motor command and the motor act are equivalent. However, any kind of perturbation, be it external, such as a visuomotor rotation, or internal, such as muscle fatigue, can create a difference between the motor intent and the action. How do we estimate the tuning curve under these conditions? Furthermore, it is well known that, during learning or adaptation, the relationship between neural firing and the observed movement can change. Does this change indicate a change in the inputs to the population, or a change in the way those inputs are processed? In this work, we present a method to infer the latent, unobserved inputs into the population of recorded neurons. Using data from nonhuman primates performing brain–computer interface experiments, we show that tuning curves based on these latent directions fit better than tuning curves based on actual movements. Finall