Predictive models in the brain

Many neuroscientists view prediction as one of the core brain functions. However, there is little consensus as to the exact nature of predictive information and processes, nor the neural mechanisms that realize them. This paper reviews a host of neural models believed to underlie the learning and deployment of predictive knowledge in a variety of brain regions: neocortex, hippocampus, thalamus, basal ganglia and cerebellum. These are compared and contrasted in order to codify a few basic aspects of neural circuitry and dynamics that appear to be the heart of prediction.