Topic: neuromodulatory processes

When completing a task for a prolonged period, our ability to sustain attention fluctuates over time. In mice, errors and biased responses cluster in time rather than occurring randomly, indicating that animals transition into and out of disengaged states over the course of an experimental session. What neural and physiological processes trigger these state transitions? Here, we investigated the role of pupil-linked arousal, as relatively high or low levels of arousal are associated with poor task performance, and there is evidence that the activity of ascending arousal systems triggers larges