Choice-Selective Neurons in the Auditory Cortex and in Its Striatal Target Encode Reward Expectation

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Auditory Neuroscience
• Decision Making

Background:

• Learned auditory behaviors rely on predicting outcomes of choices.
• Neural mechanisms integrating auditory cues, reward expectations, and decisions remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how the corticostriatal pathway integrates auditory information, behavioral choice, and reward expectations.
• Identify neural sites crucial for adaptive sound-driven decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a two-alternative choice task in male mice with dynamically changing reward associations.
• Recorded neural activity in the auditory cortex and posterior tail of the dorsal striatum.

Main Results:

• Auditory cortical neurons encode sound identity, behavioral choice, and expected reward magnitude.
• Striatal neurons showed enhanced integration of reward expectation with sound- and choice-related activity.
• Evidence of choice-specific information integrated with reward signals across the corticostriatal pathway.

Conclusions:

• The corticostriatal pathway plays a key role in integrating auditory stimuli, choices, and reward expectations.
• Findings challenge prior notions of motor signal influence on auditory circuits.
• Identifies potential neural substrates for updating auditory decisions in response to environmental changes.