The Link between Brain Areas and Behavior: Neuromodulation and Lesion Studies

Dear Colleagues,

Assessing the stimulus selectivity of neurons informs us about the nature of information these neurons encode, which is determined by their inputs but does not tell us what these neurons effectively contribute to behavioral decisions, which is determined by their output. To determine the latter, one needs to employ causal techniques in which one manipulates the activity of the neurons and assess its effect on behavior. Therefore, we need to establish the causal contribution of the neurons of a given area to perception and perceptual decisions. This causal link can be accomplished by perturbing the patterns of neural activity of a brain area or circuit. Electrical microstimulation, optogenetics, and pharmacological manipulations can be used in animal models, while transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be applied to healthy humans while they perform behavioral tasks. Similarly, the study of patients with lesions has also provided insights into the relationship between brain areas and behavior over the past century. We have gained a better understanding of several functional areas of the brain through these approaches. We are pleased to invite you to contribute any research work concerning the use of causal techniques to perturb neural activity and lesion studies in humans to study brain areas and circuits. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and short communications describing novel methods or techniques that link brain areas with behavior in this Special Issue.

Dr. Satwant Kumar
Guest Editor

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