Neural circuit mechanisms for multi-tasking

Neural activity during performance of a cognitive or motor task is often described as lying on a low-dimensional manifold in the space of all possible activity patterns. When multiple tasks are performed, an individual brain region’s activity may generate multiple such manifolds. Several models have been introduced to explain this capability, each with different assumptions concerning architecture and inputs. Here, we develop a theory of multi-tasking according to which models and experimental paradigms can be organized. We introduce a distinction between sequential and simultaneous multi-tasking, the performance of one task at a time or multiple in parallel. We show that interference between tasks often prevents multi-tasking and introduce a model of “task barcodes” that circumvents this problem and parameterizes a neuronal population’s task selectivity. Our theory reveals categorical distinctions between neural circuit mechanisms supporting multi-tasking that can be probed using physiological recordings.