Dopaminergic responses to identity prediction errors depend differently on the orbitofrontal cortex and hippocampus

Adaptive behavior depends on the ability to predict specific events, particularly those related to rewards. Armed with such associative information, we can infer the current value of predicted rewards based on changing circumstances and desires. To support this ability, neural systems must represent both the value and identity of predicted rewards, and these representations must be updated when they change. Here we tested whether prediction error signaling of dopamine neurons depends on two areas known to represent the specifics of rewarding events, the hippocampus (HC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). We monitored the spiking activity of dopamine neurons in rat ventral tegmental area during changes in the number or flavor of expected rewards designed to induce errors in the prediction of reward value or reward identity, respectively. In control animals, dopamine neurons registered both error types, transiently increasing firing to additional drops of reward or changes in reward flavor. These canonical firing signatures of value and identity prediction errors were altered in rats with ipsilateral neurotoxic lesions of either HC or OFC. Specifically, HC lesions caused a failure to register either type of prediction error, whereas OFC lesions caused abnormally persistent signaling of identity prediction errors and much more subtle effects on signaling of value errors. These results demonstrate that HC and OFC contribute distinct types of information to the computation of prediction errors signaled by ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).