# Circuit mechanisms of evidence accumulation during decision-making

> **NIH NIH F32** · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $35,229

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Circuit mechanisms underlying evidence accumulation during decision-making
Behavior across many types of decision-making is well described by the gradual accumulation of evidence
toward one of multiple alternatives. Neuronal correlates of the accumulation of evidence during perceptual
decision-making have been observed in many areas in the brain. Recent work in a rat auditory evidence
accumulation task has identified a causal role for a number of brain structures, including the frontal cortex,
basal ganglia, and the superior colliculus. These structures are highly interconnected to each other, indicating
that understanding their interactions is necessary for elucidating the circuit mechanisms underlying decision-
making. It is not known whether or how these structures interact with each other during decision-making. This
project will address three questions regarding the interactions between structures implicated in decision-
making: 1) Are the frontal orienting fields, a rodent prefrontal area, and the superior colliculus functionally
independent during evidence accumulation? 2) How is the neural encoding of evidence transformed between
the input and output nuclei of the basal ganglia 3) Does the the neural encoding in the frontal orienting fields
and the superior colliculus depend on the basal ganglia? This project will address these questions through
simultaneous optogenetic perturbation and electrophysiological recording across multiple brain areas. The
results this project will likely provide detailed understanding of the neural circuits that support the gradual
accumulation of evidence during decision-making.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10270322
- **Project number:** 3F32MH115416-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Thomas Zhihao Luo
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $35,229
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-26 → 2021-08-16

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10270322

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10270322, Circuit mechanisms of evidence accumulation during decision-making (3F32MH115416-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10270322. Licensed CC0.

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