Distinct roles of monkey OFC-subcortical pathways in adaptive behavior.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Primate Cognition
• Decision-Making

Background:

• Adaptive behavior in primates relies on updating choice values.
• The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is crucial for value updating via experience or inference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct neural circuitry for experience-based and inference-based value updating in the primate OFC.
• To elucidate the role of specific OFC projections in adaptive decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Two behavioral tasks were designed for macaque monkeys to update item values through direct experience or rule-based inference.
• Chemogenetic silencing of OFC pathways and mathematical model-fitting were employed.
• In vivo imaging using positron emission tomography mapped OFC projections.

Main Results:

• The OFC is involved in updating item value through both experience and inference.
• Silencing the OFC-rostromedial caudate nucleus (rmCD) pathway impaired experience-based updating.
• Silencing the OFC-medial mediodorsal thalamus (MDm) pathway impaired inference-based updating.

Conclusions:

• Distinct OFC projections contribute to different behavioral strategies for value updating.
• This study provides new insights into the neural basis of value-based adaptive decision-making in primates.