Active Sensing & Active Coping using Stochastic Resonance

Decision making is a routine cognitive function whose underlying neurobiological mechanisms are presently unclear. In humans, damage to parts of the prefrontal cortex was associated with prolonged deliberation over choices, as well as with impulsive, risky behaviour. Here we suggest a simplified neural circuit, that chooses a given motor action by weighing the efforts and rewards expected from it. The circuit, involving prefrontal & amygdalar components, is fed by a regulated noisy input, that enables reaching decisions at times of uncertainty via stochastic resonance.