Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, 420 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Otto von Guericke University, Universitaetsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, 420 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Curr Biol. 2023 Oct 23;33(20):4496-4504.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.033. Epub 2023 Oct 6.
Individuals are often faced with multiple cues that concurrently predict the same outcome, and combining these predictions may benefit behavior. Previous work has studied the neural basis of decision-making, predominantly using isolated sensory stimuli, and so the mechanisms that allow us to leverage multiple cues remain unclear. In two experiments, we used neuroimaging and network-targeted brain stimulation to probe how the brain integrates outcome predictions to guide adaptive behavior. We identified neural signatures of outcome integration in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), where concurrently presented cues evoke stronger pattern-based representations of expected outcomes. Moreover, perturbing lateral OFC network activity impairs subjects' ability to leverage predictions from multiple cues to facilitate responding. Intriguingly, we found similar behavioral and brain mechanisms for reward-predicting cues and for cues predicting the absence of reward. These findings highlight a causal role for the lateral OFC in utilizing outcome predictions from multiple cues to guide behavior.
个体经常面临同时预测同一结果的多种线索,而整合这些预测可能会有益于行为。以前的工作主要使用孤立的感觉刺激来研究决策的神经基础,因此,允许我们利用多种线索的机制仍不清楚。在两项实验中,我们使用神经影像学和针对网络的脑刺激来探究大脑如何整合结果预测来指导适应性行为。我们在外侧眶额皮层 (OFC) 中确定了结果整合的神经特征,其中同时呈现的线索会引起对预期结果的更强的基于模式的表示。此外,扰乱外侧 OFC 网络活动会损害主体利用多种线索进行预测以促进反应的能力。有趣的是,我们发现奖励预测线索和预测无奖励线索的行为和大脑机制相似。这些发现强调了外侧 OFC 在利用多种线索的结果预测来指导行为方面的因果作用。