Empirically validated theoretical analysis of visual-spatial perception under change of nervous system arousal
Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience May 12, 2023 Pratik Purohit, Prasun Dutta, Prasun K. Roy
A quantitative model describes how visual-spatial perception changes under agents that hyperactivate or hypoactivate the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system. The model uses a Hill equation to relate neuromodulator concentration to perceptual alteration, quantified via a metric tensor. Simulations of psilocybin (hyperactivation) and chlorpromazine (hypoactivation) in brain tissue matched behavioral experiments: for psilocybin, a Hill coefficient of 14.8 and constant of 1.39 produced theoretical predictions that robustly fit experimental data (χ² test, p > 0.99). Neural tracts between cortical area V2 and the entorhinal cortex were identified, and grid-cell network simulations also followed the Hill equation. The approach could serve as a screening tool for perceptual misjudgment in stressed workers.