The orbitofrontal cortex updates beliefs for state inference.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Decision-Making Research

Background:

• Behavioral variability arises from diverse cognitive strategies.
• Integrating behavioral analysis with neural recordings can elucidate these strategies.
• The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is implicated in decision-making and reward processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how cognitive strategies evolve during learning in a decision-making task.
• To determine if OFC neural dynamics can distinguish between different cognitive strategies.
• To identify the neural basis of state inference in decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Rats performed a temporal wagering task with hidden reward states.
• Electrophysiological recordings captured OFC neural activity.
• Novel methods analyzed population dynamics to identify latent neural factors.
• OFC inactivation experiments assessed causality.

Main Results:

• Naive rats adapted to reward statistics, while expert rats inferred hidden reward states.
• Distinct OFC neural dynamics correlated with inferred states in expert rats.
• Neural factors showed abrupt changes reflecting state transitions in experts.
• OFC neurons reflected single-trial inferences, causally impacting behavior.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive strategies in decision-making are decipherable from OFC neural dynamics.
• OFC neural activity encodes inferred reward states and state transitions.
• These findings reveal the neural signatures of inference during learning.