Transformation from population codes to firing rate codes by learning: Neural representation of smooth pursuit eye movements

SUMMARY It has been reported that not only the information related to retinal slip but also the non-visual information were population-coded in the middle temporal (MT) area and the medial superior temporal (MST) area during smooth pursuit eye movements. On the other hand, it has been also reported that the information related to motor signals to generate eye movements were firing rate-coded in the Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. Here, we propose a computational model of smooth pursuit that includes various temporal patterns of neural firing in the MT/MST areas and synaptic plasticity in the cerebellar cortex. We show that the signals to generate smooth pursuit eye movements could be extracted from the signals population-coded in the cerebral cortex by means of the synaptic plasticity in the cerebellar cortex. Our results indicate that the transformation from population codes to firing rate-codes occurs in the cerebellum during smooth pursuit eye movements