Cited by 312Embodied and Extended CognitionNeural dynamics and brain functionMemory and Neural Mechanisms

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 73 of the 73 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 65 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Free Energy, Precision and Learning: The Role of Cholinergic Neuromodulation

Open access

Abstract

Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neuromodulatory transmitter implicated in perception and learning under uncertainty. This study combined computational simulations and pharmaco-electroencephalography in humans, to test a formulation of perceptual inference based upon the free energy principle. This formulation suggests that ACh enhances the precision of bottom-up synaptic transmission in cortical hierarchies by optimizing the gain of supragranular pyramidal cells. Simulations of a mismatch negativity paradigm predicted a rapid trial-by-trial suppression of evoked sensory prediction error (PE) responses that is attenuated by cholinergic neuromodulation. We confirmed this prediction empirically with a placebo-controlled study of cholinesterase inhibition. Furthermore, using dynamic causal modeling, we found that drug-induced differences in PE responses could be explained by gain modulation in supragranular pyramidal cells in primary sensory cortex. This suggests that ACh adaptively enhances sensory precision by boosting bottom-up signaling when stimuli are predictable, enabling the brain to respond optimally under different levels of environmental uncertainty.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.4255-12.2013

Cites

73 of 73 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

40 Not checked yet · 31 Own interpretation · 24 Own result · 18 No basis given · 3 Own method

Verify all 65 references — free account
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 37
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 29
60 of 60
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The hierarchical organisation of cortex implies a hierarchical model of the sensorium that can be described by stochastic differential equations.

    “we assume that the hierarchical nature of cortical organisation (Felleman and Van Essen 1991) implies a hierarchical model of the sensorium that can be described by a set of stochastic differential equations of the following general form:”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The brain uses the same hierarchical model that generated the stimuli, but does not know the frequency modulation parameter C.

    “we assumed that the brain was equipped with the same hierarchical model used to generate the stimuli, but did not know the parameter controlling frequency modulation over peristimulus time (the C parameter above).”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Prediction errors are reported by superficial pyramidal cells, which are the principal contributors to electrophysiological measurements.

    “Assuming that prediction errors are reported by superficial pyramidal cells – that are the principal contributors to electrophysiological measurements – we can treat the precision weighted prediction errors as event related potentials (ERPs).”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Galantamine increases both the brain's prior expectation about the precision of sensory input and the confidence about that expectation.

    “we assumed that Galantamine increases both the brain’s prior expectation about the precision of sensory input and the confidence about that expectation (Figure 1; upper panel).”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Model parameters such as C are encoded by the strength of extrinsic connections between brain regions, while log-precisions are encoded by the gain of prediction error units, i.e. the intrinsic excitation of supragranular pyramidal cells.

    “Under our biological implementation of Bayes-optional perception, model parameters (like C in Equation 2) are encoded by the strength of extrinsic connections between brain regions; while log-precisions are encoded by the gain of prediction error units (i.e. intrinsic excitation of supragranular pyramidal cells).”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    In predictive coding formulations of free energy minimisation, gain corresponds to the precision of prediction errors.

    “In predictive coding formulations of free energy minimisation, this gain corresponds to the precision of prediction errors.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The first presentation of the deviant (d1) is not confounded by sensory learning under the different drug conditions.

    “To test for the predicted differences in placebo and Galantamine, we focused on the first presentation of the deviant (d1), because this is not confounded by sensory learning – under the different drug conditions – in subsequent repetitions.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    When making perceptual inferences about the states of the world and their causes, the brain should up-weight reliable sensory evidence by increasing the precision of signals from lower-level cortical regions such as primary sensory areas.

    “When making perceptual inferences about the states of the world and their causes, the brain should up-weight reliable sensory evidence by increasing the precision of signals from lower-level cortical regions; e.g., primary sensory areas.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Hierarchical inference using empirical Bayes provides a mechanism by which neural circuits can selectively up-weight and down-weight particular features in the sensorium.

    “In general, hierarchical inference using empirical Bayes, as implemented in our simulations, provides a mechanism by which neural circuits can selectively up-weight and down-weight particular features in the sensorium.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Microdialysis measures of ACh in behaving animals show increases in modality-specific sensory cortex and hippocampus during the acquisition of novel, behaviourally relevant stimuli.

    “Microdialysis measures of ACh in behaving animals support this view – with increases observed in modality-specific sensory cortex and hippocampus during the acquisition of novel, behaviourally-relevant stimuli.”
10 of 10

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

3 of 3

Citations

Cites

Show all 72 references

Cited by

Sorted by citations

See all 312

Metadata

Authors
Moran, R. J., Campo, P., Symmonds, M., Stephan, K. E., Dolan, R. J., & Friston, K. J.
Affiliations
Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (GB)
Corresponding author
Moran, Rosalyn J.
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
2013-05-08
Volume
33
Issue
19
Pages
8227-8236
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W2013554506
Cited by
312
References
72
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 5
FWCI
12.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion)
  • Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa (Consorci de Serveis Universitaris de Catalunya) (publishedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Hispana (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Biblos-e Archivo (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (091593, 098362, 098362/Z/12/Z, 088130)
  • Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
acetylcholine, cholinergic modulation, free energy principle, perceptual inference, prediction error, sensory precision, gain modulation, cholinesterase inhibition, mismatch negativity, primary sensory cortex, uncertainty, learning
MeSH terms
Acetylcholine, Acoustic Stimulation, Adolescent, Adult, Algorithms, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cholinesterase Inhibitors, Computer Simulation, Double-Blind Method, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Female, Galantamine, Humans, Learning, Male, Models, Neurological, Neuropsychological Tests, Perception, Predictive Value of Tests, Young Adult

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-04, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).

A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-04 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review