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Ferro D, Cash-Padgett T, Wang MZ, Hayden BY, Moreno-Bote R. Gaze-centered gating, reactivation, and reevaluation of economic value in orbitofrontal cortex. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6163. [PMID: 39039055 PMCID: PMC11263430 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50214-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
During economic choice, options are often considered in alternation, until commitment. Nonetheless, neuroeconomics typically ignores the dynamic aspects of deliberation. We trained two male macaques to perform a value-based decision-making task in which two risky offers were presented in sequence at the opposite sides of the visual field, each followed by a delay epoch where offers were invisible. Surprisingly, during the two delays, subjects tend to look at empty locations where the offers had previously appeared, with longer fixations increasing the probability of choosing the associated offer. Spiking activity in orbitofrontal cortex reflects the value of the gazed offer, or of the offer associated with the gazed empty spatial location, even if it is not the most recent. This reactivation reflects a reevaluation process, as fluctuations in neural spiking correlate with upcoming choice. Our results suggest that look-at-nothing gazing triggers the reactivation of a previously seen offer for further evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demetrio Ferro
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002, Barcelona, Spain.
- Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Tyler Cash-Padgett
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455, USA
| | - Maya Zhe Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455, USA
| | - Benjamin Y Hayden
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Rubén Moreno-Bote
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002, Barcelona, Spain
- Serra Húnter Fellow Programme, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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Cisek P, Green AM. Toward a neuroscience of natural behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102859. [PMID: 38583263 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
One of the most exciting new developments in systems neuroscience is the progress being made toward neurophysiological experiments that move beyond simplified laboratory settings and address the richness of natural behavior. This is enabled by technological advances such as wireless recording in freely moving animals, automated quantification of behavior, and new methods for analyzing large data sets. Beyond new empirical methods and data, however, there is also a need for new theories and concepts to interpret that data. Such theories need to address the particular challenges of natural behavior, which often differ significantly from the scenarios studied in traditional laboratory settings. Here, we discuss some strategies for developing such novel theories and concepts and some example hypotheses being proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Cisek
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
| | - Andrea M Green
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Viswanathan P, Stein AM, Nieder A. Sequential neuronal processing of number values, abstract decision, and action in the primate prefrontal cortex. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002520. [PMID: 38364194 PMCID: PMC10871863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Decision-making requires processing of sensory information, comparing the gathered evidence to make a judgment, and performing the action to communicate it. How neuronal representations transform during this cascade of representations remains a matter of debate. Here, we studied the succession of neuronal representations in the primate prefrontal cortex (PFC). We trained monkeys to judge whether a pair of sequentially presented displays had the same number of items. We used a combination of single neuron and population-level analyses and discovered a sequential transformation of represented information with trial progression. While numerical values were initially represented with high precision and in conjunction with detailed information such as order, the decision was encoded in a low-dimensional subspace of neural activity. This decision encoding was invariant to both retrospective numerical values and prospective motor plans, representing only the binary judgment of "same number" versus "different number," thus facilitating the generalization of decisions to novel number pairs. We conclude that this transformation of neuronal codes within the prefrontal cortex supports cognitive flexibility and generalizability of decisions to new conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Viswanathan
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Anna M. Stein
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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Grabenhorst F, Ponce-Alvarez A, Battaglia-Mayer A, Deco G, Schultz W. A view-based decision mechanism for rewards in the primate amygdala. Neuron 2023; 111:3871-3884.e14. [PMID: 37725980 PMCID: PMC10914681 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Primates make decisions visually by shifting their view from one object to the next, comparing values between objects, and choosing the best reward, even before acting. Here, we show that when monkeys make value-guided choices, amygdala neurons encode their decisions in an abstract, purely internal representation defined by the monkey's current view but not by specific object or reward properties. Across amygdala subdivisions, recorded activity patterns evolved gradually from an object-specific value code to a transient, object-independent code in which currently viewed and last-viewed objects competed to reflect the emerging view-based choice. Using neural-network modeling, we identified a sequence of computations by which amygdala neurons implemented view-based decision making and eventually recovered the chosen object's identity when the monkeys acted on their choice. These findings reveal a neural mechanism in the amygdala that derives object choices from abstract, view-based computations, suggesting an efficient solution for decision problems with many objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Grabenhorst
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
| | - Adrián Ponce-Alvarez
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Technology and Information, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carrer Ramón Trias Fargas, 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Matemàtiques, EPSEB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Technology and Information, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carrer Ramón Trias Fargas, 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Universitat Barcelona, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Wolfram Schultz
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
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Otani Y, Katagiri Y, Imai E, Kowa H. Action-rule-based cognitive control enables efficient execution of stimulus-response conflict tasks: a model validation of Simon task performance. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1239207. [PMID: 38034070 PMCID: PMC10687480 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1239207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The human brain can flexibly modify behavioral rules to optimize task performance (speed and accuracy) by minimizing cognitive load. To show this flexibility, we propose an action-rule-based cognitive control (ARC) model. The ARC model was based on a stochastic framework consistent with an active inference of the free energy principle, combined with schematic brain network systems regulated by the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), to develop several hypotheses for demonstrating the validity of the ARC model. Methods A step-motion Simon task was developed involving congruence or incongruence between important symbolic information (illustration of a foot labeled "L" or "R," where "L" requests left and "R" requests right foot movement) and irrelevant spatial information (whether the illustration is actually of a left or right foot). We made predictions for behavioral and brain responses to testify to the theoretical predictions. Results Task responses combined with event-related deep-brain activity (ER-DBA) measures demonstrated a key contribution of the dACC in this process and provided evidence for the main prediction that the dACC could reduce the Shannon surprise term in the free energy formula by internally reversing the irrelevant rapid anticipatory postural adaptation. We also found sequential effects with modulated dip depths of ER-DBA waveforms that support the prediction that repeated stimuli with the same congruency can promote remodeling of the internal model through the information gain term while counterbalancing the surprise term. Discussion Overall, our results were consistent with experimental predictions, which may support the validity of the ARC model. The sequential effect accompanied by dip modulation of ER-DBA waveforms suggests that cognitive cost is saved while maintaining cognitive performance in accordance with the framework of the ARC based on 1-bit congruency-dependent selective control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Otani
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe, Japan
- Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe International University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yoshitada Katagiri
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyō, Japan
| | - Emiko Imai
- Department of Biophysics, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe, Japan
| | - Hisatomo Kowa
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe, Japan
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Shi W, Meisner OC, Blackmore S, Jadi MP, Nandy AS, Chang SWC. The orbitofrontal cortex: A goal-directed cognitive map framework for social and non-social behaviors. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 203:107793. [PMID: 37353191 PMCID: PMC10527225 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is regarded as one of the core brain areas in a variety of value-based behaviors. Over the past two decades, tremendous knowledge about the OFC function was gained from studying the behaviors of single subjects. As a result, our previous understanding of the OFC's function of encoding decision variables, such as the value and identity of choices, has evolved to the idea that the OFC encodes a more complex representation of the task space as a cognitive map. Accumulating evidence also indicates that the OFC importantly contributes to behaviors in social contexts, especially those involved in cooperative interactions. However, it remains elusive how exactly OFC neurons contribute to social functions and how non-social and social behaviors are related to one another in the computations performed by OFC neurons. In this review, we aim to provide an integrated view of the OFC function across both social and non-social behavioral contexts. We propose that seemingly complex functions of the OFC may be explained by its role in providing a goal-directed cognitive map to guide a wide array of adaptive reward-based behaviors in both social and non-social domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weikang Shi
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Olivia C Meisner
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Sylvia Blackmore
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Monika P Jadi
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Anirvan S Nandy
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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Shi W, Ballesta S, Padoa-Schioppa C. Neuronal origins of reduced accuracy and biases in economic choices under sequential offers. eLife 2022; 11:75910. [PMID: 35416775 PMCID: PMC9045815 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Economic choices are characterized by a variety of biases. Understanding their origins is a long-term goal for neuroeconomics, but progress on this front has been limited. Here, we examined choice biases observed when two goods are offered sequentially. In the experiments, rhesus monkeys chose between different juices offered simultaneously or in sequence. Choices under sequential offers were less accurate (higher variability). They were also biased in favor of the second offer (order bias) and in favor of the preferred juice (preference bias). Analysis of neuronal activity recorded in the orbitofrontal cortex revealed that these phenomena emerged at different computational stages. Lower choice accuracy reflected weaker offer value signals (valuation stage), the order bias emerged during value comparison (decision stage), and the preference bias emerged late in the trial (post-comparison). By neuronal measures, each phenomenon reduced the value obtained on average in each trial and was thus costly to the monkey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weikang Shi
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Sebastien Ballesta
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Camillo Padoa-Schioppa
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States,Department of Economics, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
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