RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Frontal cortex function derives from hierarchical predictive coding
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 076505
DO 10.1101/076505
A1 William H Alexander
A1 Joshua W Brown
YR 2016
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/09/21/076505.abstract
AB The frontal lobes are essential for human volition and goal-directed behavior, yet their function remains unclear. While various models have highlighted working memory, reinforcement learning, and cognitive control as key functions, a single framework for interpreting the range of effects observed in prefrontal cortex has yet to emerge. Here we show that a simple computational motif based on predictive coding can be stacked hierarchically to learn and perform arbitrarily complex goal-directed behavior. The resulting Hierarchical Error Representation (HER) model simulates a wide array of findings from fMRI, ERP, single-units, and neuropsychological studies of both lateral and medial prefrontal cortex. Additionally, the model compares favorably with current machine learning approaches, learning more rapidly and with comparable performance, while self-organizing representations into efficient hierarchical groups and managing working memory storage. By reconceptualizing lateral prefrontal activity as anticipating prediction errors, the HER model provides a novel unifying account of prefrontal cortex function with broad implications both for understanding the frontal cortex and building more powerful machine learning applications.