Anterior insula reflects surprise in value-based decision-making and perception

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Decision Science

Background:

• The brain infers information to manage uncertainty across various cognitive functions.
• Decision-making and perception, though seemingly different, may share neural mechanisms for resolving uncertainty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if uncertainty processing in visual perception and economic decision-making involves common neural substrates.
• To compare brain activity associated with uncertainty in distinct cognitive domains.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
• Participants engaged in a visual perception task (Necker's cube) and a gambling task while uncertainty levels were manipulated.
• Inferential errors (surprise) and perceptual uncertainty were quantified.

Main Results:

• BOLD responses in the anterior insula correlated with inferential errors (surprise) in the gambling task.
• Similar anterior insula activation was observed for perceptual uncertainty and surprise in the Necker Cube task.
• These findings indicate domain-general neural processing of uncertainty.

Conclusions:

• The anterior insula plays a crucial role in processing uncertainty, regardless of whether it arises from perception or decision-making.
• This suggests a common inferential mechanism employed by the brain to interact with its environment.
• The study provides empirical support for domain-general neural systems in managing uncertainty.