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Poster B98 in Poster Session B: Tuesday, August 4, 2:00 – 3:45 pm, Kimmel Center, Shorin & Rosenthal Rooms

GAC update: Clarifying and reconciling different perspectives on the structure of the neural code

Meenakshi Khosla, Marcus Benna, David Klindt, Tatiana Engel, Nikolaus Kriegeskorte, Stefano Fusi, Nancy Kanwisher

Presenter: David Klindt

The structure of the neural code has been characterized through numerous frameworks, such as category selectivity, mixed selectivity, modularity, disentangled coding or sparse coding, yet these have led to seemingly contradictory findings. We argue this apparent inconsistency stems from four interrelated sources of conceptual fragmentation: (1) frameworks lack consistent operational definitions, allowing different interpretations to proliferate; (2) they privilege different descriptive spaces, with some characterizing single-neuron tuning and others describing population-level geometry; (3) many coding properties are basis-dependent, shaped by the choice of variables used to describe neural responses; and (4) many frameworks lack empirically testable criteria. We address these issues by proposing precise operational definitions for each framework, explicitly characterizing their analytical scope and basis dependence, and identifying testable empirical signatures with canonical examples. We show how apparently contradictory coding principles can often be reconciled as complementary views emerging from different levels of analysis or coordinate systems, and propose a unified vocabulary bridging neuron-centric and population-centric perspectives.