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THEORY-1196: During a visual decision task, neurons within a single area of mouse cortex rarely form discrete functional types, yet the task conditions the area distinguishes are linearly separable in nearly every way

1 min read

Properties4
StatusProposed
Tagsneuroscience, cognition
SourceLIT-708 — Rarely categorical, highly separable representations along the cortical hierarchy
ExtendsTHEORY-124 — In Posani et al.'s analysis of the IBL Brainwide Map, recorded while trained mice performed one visual decision task, the eight-variable selectivity profiles of neurons within one cortical area clustered beyond a covariance-matched Gaussian null only in VISp, AUDp and SSp-ul of about 20 areas tested, while profiles pooled across areas clustered along anatomical lines; and over the task conditions each area distinguishes, at least 95% of random balanced dichotomies were linearly decodable above a label-shuffled null in 15 of 16 areas, a lenient criterion

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Source

LIT-708, read in full in NOTE-549. What the source measured is THEORY-124, which this entry extends.

The claim

Within a single area of mouse cortex, neurons do not sort into discrete functional types, yet the conditions the area distinguishes sit in general position, so a linear readout can split them nearly every way; the authors read this as cortex prioritizing diversity over categorical structure.

What would settle it

The promote_when, carried word for word from THEORY-124 when that entry was narrowed. More readings of the same source cannot settle it.

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