Comparison of population activation in model and electrophysiological data.

<p>Plots show the averaged and normalized field output from the motor preparation field in the model (A, C) and from electrophysiological recordings in PRR (B, D) during the PMG task. Prior to averaging and normalizing, the real and model neurons' selectivity profiles were aligned according to their preferred directions in DMG trials (PD: preferred direction, OD: opposite-to-preferred direction). The averaged and normalized activity of real neurons during the PMG task in the biased (B) and balanced (D) datasets is shown for three epochs, aligned to cue onset, ‘go’-signal, and movement onset, since the length of the epochs was variable. The model neurons were aligned accordingly even though the epochs had fixed lengths. It can be seen that during the memory period in the model and in the real data plots, only one activation ridge is stable throughout the memory period, before a bias minimizing reward schedule (BMRS; see <a href="http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002774#s2" target="_blank">Methods</a>) was introduced (A, B). After application of the BMRS, two stable ridges with a lower activation remain during the memory period (C, D).