Contrasting reward signals in the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Decision Science

Background:

• Damage to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is known to impair decision-making.
• The specific neural computations underlying these decision-making deficits are not fully understood.
• Both OFC and ACC are implicated in encoding various signals relevant to decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the distinct roles of the OFC and ACC in value computation during decision-making.
• To differentiate the neural mechanisms by which these two brain regions support decision processes.

Main Methods:

• Review of experimental findings investigating neuronal activity in OFC and ACC.
• Analysis of how different neuronal populations encode value across various decision parameters.

Main Results:

• A subset of ACC neurons exhibits multiplexed value information across parameters using a unified scheme and encodes reward prediction errors.
• OFC neurons, unlike ACC neurons, encode choice value relative to the recent history of choice values.
• Distinct valuation processes are suggested, with OFC evaluating current choices contextually and ACC encoding predictions and errors.

Conclusions:

• OFC and ACC employ complementary valuation strategies for decision-making.
• ACC neurons utilize a unified valuation currency integrating multiple parameters for predictions and error signaling.
• OFC neurons provide dynamic valuation based on recent choice history.