Bounded rationality in C. elegans is
explained by circuit-specific normalization in chemosenory pathways
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Cohen D, Teichman G, Volovich M,
Zeevi Y, Elbaum L, Madar A, Louie
K, Levy DJ, Rechavi O
Nat Commun, in press
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Rational choice theory assumes
optimality in decision-making. Violations of a basic axiom of economic
rationality known as “Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives” (IIA)
have been demonstrated in both humans and animals and could stem from
common neuronal constraints. Here we develop tests for IIA in the
nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, an animal with only 302 neurons, using
olfactory chemotaxis assays. We find that in most cases C. elegans make
rational decisions. However, by probing multiple neuronal architectures
using various choice sets, we show that violations of rationality arise
when the circuit of olfactory sensory neurons is asymmetric. We further
show that genetic manipulations of the asymmetry between the AWC
neurons can make the worm irrational. Last, a context-dependent
normalization-based model of value coding and gain control explains how
particular neuronal constraints on information coding give rise to
irrationality. Thus, we demonstrate that bounded rationality could
arise due to basic neuronal constraints.
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