Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Optimal decision making and the anterior cingulate cortex.

Steven W Kennerley1, Mark E Walton, Timothy E J Behrens

  • 1Department of Experimental Psychology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK. skennerley@berkeley.edu

Nature Neuroscience
|June 20, 2006
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Interpretable abstractions of artificial neural networks predict behavior and neural activity during human information gathering.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same author

Learning shapes neural geometry in the primate prefrontal cortex.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same author

An abstract relational map emerges in the human medial prefrontal cortex with consolidation.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same author

Neural signatures of model-based and model-free reinforcement learning across prefrontal cortex and striatum.

eLife·2026
Same author

Low-intensity focused ultrasound to human amygdala reveals a causal role in ambiguous emotion processing and alters local and network activity.

Neuron·2026
Same author

Computational origins of cortical brain circuits for social cognition.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Glycosylation in Alzheimer's disease.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Neuropixels harness the light.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Clarity in clearance pathways.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Hypothalamic specification in a dish.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Author Correction: A route for cerebrospinal fluid flow through leptomeningeal arterial-venous overlaps enables macromolecule and fluid shunting.

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Author Correction: Prefrontal engrams of long-term fear memory perpetuate pain perception.

Nature neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) guides choices by learning action values, not just error correction. ACC lesions impair sustained rewarded responses and risk-value integration in decision-making tasks.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Decision Making

Background:

  • Optimal decision-making relies on learning option values in uncertain environments.
  • The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is linked to using reinforcement information for behavioral control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the specific role of the ACC in reinforcement-guided behavior.
  • To determine if the ACC is involved in error detection/correction or in guiding choices based on action-outcome history.

Main Methods:

  • Lesion studies were performed on monkeys (Macaca mulatta).
  • Monkeys performed reinforcement-guided choice and dynamic foraging tasks.
  • Performance was assessed immediately after errors and in sustained/integrative tasks.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • ACC lesions did not impair immediate post-error performance.
  • Lesioned monkeys failed to sustain rewarded responses in a choice task.
  • Integration of risk and payoff in a foraging task was impaired by ACC lesions.

Conclusions:

  • The ACC's primary role is guiding voluntary choices using action-outcome history.
  • The ACC is essential for learning the value of actions, not solely for error detection or correction.