NIH R01 · 2025
CRCNS: Computational Mechanisms for State-Driven Active Sensing
PROJECT SUMMARY (See instructions): Humans and other animals exhibit a critical behavioral phenomenon in the control of movement: they switch between two distinct modes-fast, exploratory "active sensing" and slower, goal-directed "task control." This proposal aims to uncover the computational, behavioral, and neural mechanisms that regulate these two modes. We hypothesize that animals use internal estimates of sensory uncertainty to decide when to switch between modes, with uncertainty thresholds triggering transitions between exploratory and goal-driven behavior. To test this, we will use a uniquely tractable animal model-weakly electric fish performing a refuge tracking task-in which…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.