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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.07.26.666982

The Neural Basis of Quantity Discrimination in Mice

Peng, J. K.·Xu, T.
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Abstract

Quantity discrimination, the ability to identify preferable sizes or amounts of objects, is well-documented across humans and animals, yet its underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we report that mice exhibit an innate quantity discrimination behavior for food amounts, consistent with the Weber-Fechner law. Inhibition of the Posterior Parietal Cortex (PPC), but not other cortex regions, abolishes this behavior. Two-photon calcium imaging reveals that the PPC neurons with preferential activities towards food amounts are detected at a given time; however, their preferential identities change over time. Conversely, the PPC exhibits population synchrony during quantity discrimination, and the levels of population synchrony correlate with food amounts. Together, our study identifies a central role of the PPC in quantity discrimination, providing a population coding for quantity discrimination.

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Peng, J. K., Xu, T.. 2025-07-29. The Neural Basis of Quantity Discrimination in Mice. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.26.666982

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