Hierarchy of prediction errors shapes the learning of context-dependent sensory representations

Abstract

How sensory information is interpreted depends on context, yet the neural mechanisms by which context shapes sensory processing remain poorly understood. To address this question, we developed a computational model constrained by in vivo functional imaging of cortical neurons in mice during reversal learning of a tactile sensory discrimination task. During learning, layer 2/3 somatosensory neurons enhanced their response to reward-predictive stimuli. The model accounted for these observations through selective top-down gain amplification of apical dendritic inputs, accompanied by reduced reward-prediction errors and increased confidence in outcome predictions. Upon rule-reversal, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, through disinhibitory VIP interneurons, encoded a context-prediction error signaling a loss of confidence. The hierarchy of reward- and context-prediction errors across cortical areas is mirrored in top-down signals modulating apical activity of simulated pyramidal neurons in the primary sensory cortex. The model explains how contextual changes are detected and how reward- and context-prediction error signals, originating in different cortical regions, interact to reshape the sensory representation.