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Amplified selectivity in cognitive processing implements the neural gain model of norepinephrine function

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2017

Eran Eldar
Affiliation:
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United [email protected]/site/eldareran/ Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, United Kingdom
Jonathan D. Cohen
Affiliation:
Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ [email protected]/ncc/[email protected]/~nivlab/ Psychology Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
Yael Niv
Affiliation:
Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ [email protected]/ncc/[email protected]/~nivlab/ Psychology Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.

Abstract

Previous work has suggested that an interaction between local selective (e.g., glutamatergic) excitation and global gain modulation (via norepinephrine) amplifies selectivity in information processing. Mather et al. extend this existing theory by suggesting that localized gain modulation may further mediate this effect – an interesting prospect that invites new theoretical and experimental work.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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