Dopaminergic and prefrontal dynamics co-determine mouse decisions in a spatial gambling task

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Decision-making
• Animal behavior

Background:

• Neural basis for goal-directed actions, choice selection, and exploration remains poorly understood.
• Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for deciphering complex behaviors and cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying self-initiated actions and decision-making in animals.
• To investigate the roles of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and prefrontal cortex (PFC) in these processes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a spatial gambling task where mice control action initiation, direction, vigor, and pace for rewards.
• Utilized electrophysiological recordings, pharmacology, and optogenetics for in-vivo neural activity analysis.
• Examined neural dynamics and interactions within the VTA, OFC, and PFC.

Main Results:

• Identified a specific sequence of neural oscillations and firings in the VTA, OFC, and PFC that co-encodes action self-initiation and choices.
• Observed that this neural sequence emerged with learning as a spontaneous dynamic realignment.
• Found that interactions between these brain regions varied with reward context and uncertainty, with PFC engagement linked to uncertainty in action selection and pace.

Conclusions:

• Self-generated choices originate from a distributed neural circuit involving the OFC-VTA core for action initiation/waiting decisions.
• The PFC plays a specific role in managing reward uncertainty during action selection and pacing.
• This study provides novel insights into the neural underpinnings of volitional action and decision-making.