Uncertainty modulates visual maps during non-instrumental information demand

Abstract

Animals are intrinsically motivated to resolve uncertainty and predict future events. This motivation is encoded in cortical and subcortical structures, but a key open question is how it generates concrete policies for attending to informative stimuli. We examined this question using neural recordings in the monkey lateral intraparietal area (LIP), a visual area implicated in attention and gaze, during non-instrumental information demand. We show that the uncertainty that was resolved by a visual cue enhanced visuo-spatial responses of LIP cells independently of reward probability. This enhancement was independent of immediate saccade plans but correlated with the sensitivity to uncertainty in eye movement behavior on longer time scales (across sessions/days). The findings suggest that topographic visual maps receive motivational signals of uncertainty, which enhance the priority of informative stimuli and the likelihood that animals will orient to the stimuli to reduce uncertainty.