MODELING A SIMPLE CHOICE TASK: STOCHASTIC DYNAMICS OF MUTUALLY INHIBITORY NEURAL GROUPS
Eric Brown, Philip J. Holmes · Stochastics and Dynamics · 2001
We describe the dynamical and bifurcational behavior of two mutually inhibitory, leaky, neural units subject to external stimulus, random noise, and "priming biases". The model describes a simple forced choice experiment and accounts for varying levels of expectation and control. By projecting the model's dynamics onto slow manifolds, using judicious linear approximations, and solving for one-dimensional (reduced) probability densities, analytical estimates are developed for reaction time distributions and shown to compare satisfactorily with "full" numerical data. A sensitivity analysis is performed and the effects of parameters assessed. The predictions are also compared with behavioral data. These results may help correlate low-dimensional models of stochastic neural networks with cognitive test data, and hence assist in parameter choices and model building.