Abstract

A better way to explain neuronal activity A brain region called the lateral intraparietal (LIP) area is involved in primate decision-making. The dominant model to explain neuronal firing in LIP assumes that neurons slowly accumulate sensory evidence in favor of one choice or another. Latimer et al. hypothesized that neurons instead exhibit rapid steps or jumps in their firing rate, reflecting discrete changes in the animal's decision state. They recorded from LIP neurons in macaque monkeys performing a motion-discrimination task. LIP spike trains in most cells involved discrete stepping dynamics rather than slow evidence integration dynamics. Science , this issue p. 184