Tuned inhibitory control of neuronal firing thresholds explains predictive sensorimotor behavior

Prior expectations guide sensorimotor behavior when sensory information is uncertain, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this integration remain elusive. Here, we investigate how priors over sensory motion direction shape neural population dynamics by combining recurrent and spiking neural network modeling with previously reported macaque smooth pursuit behavior and middle temporal area (area MT) single-unit electrophysiology. Our modeling identifies direction-selective threshold modulation as a sufficient mechanism for reproducing the behavioral and neural signatures of prior expectation.

Within the model, elevating firing thresholds in neurons tuned away from the expected direction sharpens population tuning and reduces behavioral variability under weak sensory information. We further observe direction- and prior-dependent modulation of low-frequency local field potential (LFP) activity in area MT, with modulation strength scaling with deviation from expectation. Together, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that prior expectations may improve behavioral precision through direction-selective modulation of neuronal excitability and suggest a candidate mechanistic link between Bayesian inference and cortical circuit dynamics.

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF, RS-2023-NR077084, RS-2023-00217361, RS-2025-00518788, and RS-2025-02263832) and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP, RS-2026-25518389), grants funded by the Korean government (MSIT). Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea Jungryul Ahn, Seolmin Kim, Sanghum Woo, Hansem Sohn & Joonyeol Lee Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea Jungryul Ahn, Sanghum Woo, Hansem Sohn & Joonyeol Lee Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon, Republic of Korea Seolmin Kim, Sanghum Woo, Hansem Sohn & Joonyeol Lee Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ahn, J., Kim, S., Park, J. et al. Tuned inhibitory control of neuronal firing thresholds explains predictive sensorimotor behavior. Commun Biol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-11082-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-11082-2