Brain Circuit Simulation: New Computer Model for Decision-Making Research
- Every day, your brain makes thousands of decisions under uncertainty.
- Picture groups of neurons casting votes-some optimistic,some pessimistic.
- When that balance skews, the brain can misread the world: assigning too much meaning to random events, as in schizophrenia, or becoming stuck in rigid patterns, as in...
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New Brain Model Simulates How We Make Decisions Under Uncertainty
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Every day, your brain makes thousands of decisions under uncertainty. Most of the time, you guess right. When you don’t, you learn. But when the brain’s ability to judge context or assign meaning falters,thoughts and behavior can go astray. In psychiatric disorders ranging from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to schizophrenia, the brain may misjudge how much evidence to gather before acting-or fail to adjust when the rules of the world change based on new information.
Uncertainty is built into the brain’s wiring. Picture groups of neurons casting votes-some optimistic,some pessimistic. Your decisions reflect the average.
Michael Halassa, professor of neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine
When that balance skews, the brain can misread the world: assigning too much meaning to random events, as in schizophrenia, or becoming stuck in rigid patterns, as in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Understanding those misfires has long challenged scientists, says Halassa. “The brain speaks the language of single neurons. But fMRI-the tool we use to study brain activity in people-tracks blood flow, not the electrical chatter of individual brain cells.”
Bridging that gap means combining insights from single-cell studies in animals, human brain imaging, and behavior. Now, a new kind of computer model-grounded in real biology-lets researchers simulate how brain circuits make decisions and adapt when the rules change.
Called CogLinks, the model builds biological realism into its design, mirroring how real brain cells are connected and coding for how they assign value to often ambiguous and incomplete observations about the external environment. Unlike many artificial intelligence systems that act like “black boxes,” CogLinks shows researchers exactly how its virtual neurons link structure to function. As an inevitable result,scientists can map how this virtual brain learns from experience and pivots based on new information.
How CogLinks Works: A Deeper Dive
CogLinks isn’t just a theoretical construct; it’s a functional simulation. It replicates the interconnectedness of neurons and their varying responses to stimuli. This allows researchers to observe, in a controlled environment, how changes in neural connections affect decision-making. The model’s ability to simulate adaptation is particularly crucial. Real-world environments are rarely static; rules change,and the brain must constantly update its understanding. CogLinks allows scientists to test how effectively the brain handles these shifts.
Implications for Psychiatric Disorders
The advancement of CogLinks has meaningful implications for understanding and perhaps treating psychiatric disorders. By simulating circuit malfunctions, researchers can gain insights into the underlying mechanisms of conditions like schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Such as, the model can help explain why individuals with schizophrenia might assign undue significance to irrelevant stimuli, or why