The role of the anterior cingulate cortex in choices based on reward value and reward contingency

Although several studies have emphasized the role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in associating actions with reward value, its role in guiding choices on the basis of changes in reward value has not been assessed. Accordingly, we compared rhesus monkeys with ACC lesions and controls on object- and action-based reinforcer devaluation tasks. Monkeys were required to associate an object or an action with one of two reward outcomes, and we assessed the monkey's shift in choices of objects or actions after changes in the value of 1 outcome. No group differences emerged on either task. For comparison, we tested the same monkeys on their ability to make choices guided by reward contingency in object- and action-based reversal learning tasks. Monkeys with ACC lesions were impaired in using rewarded trials to sustain the selection of the correct object during object reversal learning. They were also impaired in using errors to guide choices in action reversal learning. These data indicate that the role of the ACC is not restricted to linking specific actions with reward outcomes, as previously reported. Instead, the data suggest a more general role for the ACC in using information about reward and nonreward to sustain effective choice behavior.