Amit Yaron
@yaronamit.bsky.social
Neuroscientist
Studying auditory prediction
Project researcher @ IRCN, University of Tokyo ,Japan
Studying auditory prediction
Project researcher @ IRCN, University of Tokyo ,Japan
Huge thanks to mentors Zenas Chao & Hirokazu Takahashi, and collaborators Tomoyo Shiramatsu-Isoguchi, Felix Kern & Kenichi Ohki!
@utokyoofficial.bsky.social WPI-IRCN
@plosbiology.org
paper again:
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
@utokyoofficial.bsky.social WPI-IRCN
@plosbiology.org
paper again:
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Auditory cortex neurons that encode negative prediction errors respond to omissions of sounds in a predictable sequence
Neurons encoding positive or negative prediction errors signal a mismatch between the expected and the experienced input. This study shows how neurons encoding negative prediction errors in the audito...
doi.org
July 10, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Huge thanks to mentors Zenas Chao & Hirokazu Takahashi, and collaborators Tomoyo Shiramatsu-Isoguchi, Felix Kern & Kenichi Ohki!
@utokyoofficial.bsky.social WPI-IRCN
@plosbiology.org
paper again:
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
@utokyoofficial.bsky.social WPI-IRCN
@plosbiology.org
paper again:
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Our circuit model explains these results. Lateral interactions between prediction-error neurons cause unexpected tones to suppress neighboring predictions, sharpening each neuron's predictive field and making omission coding more precise and efficient.
July 10, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Our circuit model explains these results. Lateral interactions between prediction-error neurons cause unexpected tones to suppress neighboring predictions, sharpening each neuron's predictive field and making omission coding more precise and efficient.
A key asymmetry reveals the mechanism:
📌 Receptive field: responds to both tones when heard
📌 Predictive field: fires only when one specific tone is omitted
Same neuron — opposite selectivity for presence vs absence.
📌 Receptive field: responds to both tones when heard
📌 Predictive field: fires only when one specific tone is omitted
Same neuron — opposite selectivity for presence vs absence.
July 10, 2025 at 4:38 AM
A key asymmetry reveals the mechanism:
📌 Receptive field: responds to both tones when heard
📌 Predictive field: fires only when one specific tone is omitted
Same neuron — opposite selectivity for presence vs absence.
📌 Receptive field: responds to both tones when heard
📌 Predictive field: fires only when one specific tone is omitted
Same neuron — opposite selectivity for presence vs absence.
This confidence built up over time:
🔹 Early in the sequence, gaps triggered little or no response
🔹 After repeated exposure to the target tone, the same gap evoked strong firing
This suggests the brain gradually accumulates statistical regularities to form stable expectations.
🔹 Early in the sequence, gaps triggered little or no response
🔹 After repeated exposure to the target tone, the same gap evoked strong firing
This suggests the brain gradually accumulates statistical regularities to form stable expectations.
July 10, 2025 at 4:38 AM
This confidence built up over time:
🔹 Early in the sequence, gaps triggered little or no response
🔹 After repeated exposure to the target tone, the same gap evoked strong firing
This suggests the brain gradually accumulates statistical regularities to form stable expectations.
🔹 Early in the sequence, gaps triggered little or no response
🔹 After repeated exposure to the target tone, the same gap evoked strong firing
This suggests the brain gradually accumulates statistical regularities to form stable expectations.
Omission responses tracked the target tone’s probability:
🔹 Gap in a sequence where the target tone was 90 % of items → strong firing
🔹 Gap in a sequence where the target tone was 10 % → weak or no firing
This shows predictions are feature-specific and confidence-graded.
🔹 Gap in a sequence where the target tone was 90 % of items → strong firing
🔹 Gap in a sequence where the target tone was 10 % → weak or no firing
This shows predictions are feature-specific and confidence-graded.
July 10, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Omission responses tracked the target tone’s probability:
🔹 Gap in a sequence where the target tone was 90 % of items → strong firing
🔹 Gap in a sequence where the target tone was 10 % → weak or no firing
This shows predictions are feature-specific and confidence-graded.
🔹 Gap in a sequence where the target tone was 90 % of items → strong firing
🔹 Gap in a sequence where the target tone was 10 % → weak or no firing
This shows predictions are feature-specific and confidence-graded.
These are “Probability-Encoding Omission Neurons” (PEONs)
Their omission responses act as prediction error signals:
The stronger the expectation for this specific tone, the stronger the firing when that tone fails to appear.
Their omission responses act as prediction error signals:
The stronger the expectation for this specific tone, the stronger the firing when that tone fails to appear.
July 10, 2025 at 4:38 AM
These are “Probability-Encoding Omission Neurons” (PEONs)
Their omission responses act as prediction error signals:
The stronger the expectation for this specific tone, the stronger the firing when that tone fails to appear.
Their omission responses act as prediction error signals:
The stronger the expectation for this specific tone, the stronger the firing when that tone fails to appear.
Two-tone sequences were played with occasional silent gaps (5% omissions). Many of these neurons responded to both tones when present. ~13% also fired on gaps, but only when they occurred in a sequence dominated by one specific tone.
July 10, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Two-tone sequences were played with occasional silent gaps (5% omissions). Many of these neurons responded to both tones when present. ~13% also fired on gaps, but only when they occurred in a sequence dominated by one specific tone.