Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026

A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents
Published on: May 3, 2012
Disentangling Uncertainty Signals in Neural Reward Dynamics
Jianbiao Zhao1, Leyou Deng2, Ya Zheng1
1Guangzhou University.
Abstract:
Most decisions are made under uncertainty, which manifests in either risk (know probability) or ambiguity (unknown probability). However, it is not well understood how the two forms of uncertainty signal differ in value-based decision-making. This ERP study aimed to disentangle them by examining how their neural reward dynamics are influenced by individual attitudes and their derived subjective value (SV). Thirty-six participants performed a wheel-of-fortune task while EEG activity was recorded, followed by a lottery task where their attitudes toward risk and ambiguity were assessed. These attitudes were then used to calculate the trial-level SV for gambling wheels in the wheel-of-fortune task. Results showed that risk was associated with a greater cue-P3, whereas ambiguity was linked to a greater cue-N2 and stronger valence effects on both the reward positivity and feedback-P3. Importantly, SV was represented by all ERP components under risk but not under ambiguity. Finally, less risk-averse attitudes were associated with reduced valence and probability effects on the feedback-P3, whereas less ambiguity-averse attitudes were linked to greater ambiguity-level effect on the cue-P3. Our findings reveal a dissociable relationship between risk and ambiguity, supporting the crucial role of individual attitudes and SV in disentangling them in uncertainty neural signals.
Related Concept Videos
Neural Regulation
Uncertainty: Overview
Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error
Neural Circuits
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
Propagation of Uncertainty from Systematic Error
Entropy Changes Accompanying Specific Processes

