Reward-Related Neuronal Activity During Go-Nogo Task Performance in Primate Orbitofrontal Cortex

2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 1864-1876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léon Tremblay ◽  
Wolfram Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
Reaching Movement ◽  
Behavioral Reaction ◽  
Reward Delivery ◽  
Trigger Stimulus ◽  
Response Transfer ◽  
Reward Information ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior ◽  
Principal Task

The orbitofrontal cortex appears to be involved in the control of voluntary, goal-directed behavior by motivational outcomes. This study investigated how orbitofrontal neurons process information about rewards in a task that depends on intact orbitofrontal functions. In a delayed go-nogo task, animals executed or withheld a reaching movement and obtained liquid or a conditioned sound as reinforcement. An initial instruction picture indicated the behavioral reaction to be performed (movement vs. nonmovement) and the reinforcer to be obtained (liquid vs. sound) after a subsequent trigger stimulus. We found task-related activations in 188 of 505 neurons in rostral orbitofrontal area 13, entire area 11, and lateral area 14. The principal task-related activations consisted of responses to instructions, activations preceding reinforcers, or responses to reinforcers. Most activations reflected the reinforcing event rather than other task components. Instruction responses occurred either in liquid- or sound-reinforced trials but rarely distinguished between movement and nonmovement reactions. These instruction responses reflected the predicted motivational outcome rather than the behavioral reaction necessary for obtaining that outcome. Activations preceding the reinforcer began slowly and terminated immediately after the reinforcer, even when the reinforcer occurred earlier or later than usually. These activations preceded usually the liquid reward but rarely the conditioned auditory reinforcer. The activations also preceded expected drops of liquid delivered outside the task, suggesting a primary appetitive rather than a task-reinforcing relationship that apparently was related to the expectation of reward. Responses after the reinforcer occurred in liquid- but rarely in sound-reinforced trials. Reward-preceding activations and reward responses were unrelated temporally to licking movements. Several neurons showed reward responses outside the task but instruction responses during the task, indicating a response transfer from primary reward to the reward-predicting instruction, possibly reflecting the temporal unpredictability of reward. In conclusion, orbitofrontal neurons report stimuli associated with reinforcers are concerned with the expectation of reward and detect reward delivery at trial end. These activities may contribute to the processing of reward information for the motivational control of goal-directed behavior.

Orbitofrontal cortex output pathways: cingulate cortex, basal ganglia, and dopamine

2019 ◽  
pp. 145-164
Author(s):  
Edmund T. Rolls
Keyword(s):  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Instrumental Learning ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Dopamine Neurons ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Outcome Information ◽  
Reward Information

The medial orbitofrontal cortex projects reward-related information to the pregenual cingulate cortex, and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex projects punishment and non-reward information to the supracallosal anterior cingulate cortex. These projections provide the reward outcome information needed for action-outcome goal value dependent instrumental learning by the cingulate cortex. The orbitofrontal cortex also projects reward-related information to the striatum for stimulus-response habit learning. Via the striatal route, and further in part via the habenula, the orbitofrontal cortex provides information about rewards and non-rewards that reached the brainstem dopamine neurons, some of which respond to positive reward prediction error, and the serotonin (5HT) neurons. The orbitofrontal cortex is therefore perhaps the key brain region involved in reward processing in the brain. The orbitofrontal cortex also has projections that can influence autonomic function, in part via the insula.

scholarly journals A neuronal reward inequity signal in primate striatum

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymundo Báez-Mendoza ◽  
Charlotte R. van Coeverden ◽  
Wolfram Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Rhesus Monkeys ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Decision Variable ◽  
Striatal Neurons ◽  
Sensitivity To Reward ◽  
Neuronal Mechanisms ◽  
Behavioral Sensitivity ◽  
Reward Information ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

Primates are social animals, and their survival depends on social interactions with others. Especially important for social interactions and welfare is the observation of rewards obtained by other individuals and the comparison with own reward. The fundamental social decision variable for the comparison process is reward inequity, defined by an asymmetric reward distribution among individuals. An important brain structure for coding reward inequity may be the striatum, a component of the basal ganglia involved in goal-directed behavior. Two rhesus monkeys were seated opposite each other and contacted a touch-sensitive table placed between them to obtain specific magnitudes of reward that were equally or unequally distributed among them. Response times in one of the animals demonstrated differential behavioral sensitivity to reward inequity. A group of neurons in the striatum showed distinct signals reflecting disadvantageous and advantageous reward inequity. These neuronal signals occurred irrespective of, or in conjunction with, own reward coding. These data demonstrate that striatal neurons of macaque monkeys sense the differences between other's and own reward. The neuronal activities are likely to contribute crucial reward information to neuronal mechanisms involved in social interactions.

scholarly journals Orthogonal Representations of Reward Magnitude, Certainty, and Volatility in the Macaque Orbitofrontal Cortex

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianming Yang ◽  
Elisabeth A. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Reward Magnitude ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
General Role ◽  
Decision Variables ◽  
Categorical Knowledge ◽  
Reward Information ◽  
The Brain

AbstractCategorical knowledge about the probabilistic and volatile nature of resource availability can improve foraging strategies, yet we have little understanding of how the brain represents such knowledge. Neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of macaques encode several decision variables (e.g., reward magnitude, probability) that could influence choice behavior. Here we investigated whether OFC neurons also represent two aspects of reward predictability: certainty and volatility. Rhesus monkeys performed a visual stimulus-reward association task in which a set of simple shapes preceded the delivery of reward, and they learned the nature of each shape’s reward association along two dimensions. One involved the certainty of a reward outcome; rewards can be either deterministic (and therefore certain) or probabilistic (uncertain). A second dimension reflected the volatility of an outcome; reward schedules can be either stable over time or volatile. During stimulus presentation, the activity of OFC neurons reflected both categorical certainty and categorical volatility, in addition to reward magnitude. These three characteristics were represented orthogonally by three distinct neural populations of similar size. These findings point to a more general role for OFC in processing reward information than one restricted to encoding parametric valuations such as reward magnitude and probability.

scholarly journals Value Representations in the Rodent Orbitofrontal Cortex Drive Learning, not Choice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Miller ◽  
Matthew M. Botvinick ◽  
Carlos D. Brody
Keyword(s):  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Future Expectations ◽  
Neural Representations ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Expected Values ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Reward Information ◽  
To Receive ◽  
The Brain

AbstractHumans and animals make predictions about the rewards they expect to receive in different situations. In formal models of behavior, these predictions are known as value representations, and they play two very different roles. Firstly, they drive choice: the expected values of available options are compared to one another, and the best option is selected. Secondly, they support learning: expected values are compared to rewards actually received, and future expectations are updated accordingly. Whether these different functions are mediated by different neural representations remains an open question. Here we employ a recently-developed multi-step task for rats that computationally separates learning from choosing. We investigate the role of value representations in the rodent orbitofrontal cortex, a key structure for value-based cognition. Electrophysiological recordings and optogenetic perturbations indicate that these representations do not directly drive choice. Instead, they signal expected reward information to a learning process elsewhere in the brain that updates choice mechanisms.

scholarly journals Hedonic processing in humans is mediated by an opioidergic mechanism in a mesocorticolimbic system

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Buchel ◽  
Stephan Miedl ◽  
Christian Sprenger
Keyword(s):  
Opioid Receptors ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Ventral Striatum ◽  
Editorial Note ◽  
Incentive Salience ◽  
Editorial Process ◽  
Opioidergic System ◽  
Pharmacological Challenge ◽  
Reward Delivery ◽  
Hedonic Processing

It has been hypothesized that the pleasure of a reward in humans is mediated by an opioidergic system involving the hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens and the amygdala. Importantly, enjoying the pleasure of a reward is distinct from incentive salience induced by cues predicting the reward. We investigated this issue using a within subject, pharmacological challenge design with the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone and fMRI. Our data show that blocking opioid receptors reduced pleasure associated with viewing erotic pictures more than viewing symbols of reward such as money. This was paralleled by a reduction of activation in the ventral striatum, lateral orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, hypothalamus and medial prefrontal cortex. Crucially, the naloxone induced activation decrease was observed at reward delivery, but not during reward anticipation, indicating that blocking opioid receptors decreases the pleasure of rewards in humans.Editorial note: This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (<xref ref-type="decision-letter" rid="SA1">see decision letter</xref>).

scholarly journals Functional Connectivity of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Depression and in Health

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 3617-3630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmund T Rolls ◽  
Wei Cheng ◽  
Weikang Gong ◽  
Jiang Qiu ◽  
Chanjuan Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Visual Areas ◽  
Reward Information ◽  
Cortical Visual Areas

Abstract The first voxel-level resting-state functional connectivity (FC) neuroimaging analysis of depression of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) showed in 282 patients with major depressive disorder compared with 254 controls, some higher, and some lower FCs. However, in 125 unmedicated patients, primarily increases of FC were found: of the subcallosal anterior cingulate with the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, of the pregenual/supracallosal anterior cingulate with the medial orbitofrontal cortex, and of parts of the anterior cingulate with the inferior frontal gyrus, superior parietal lobule, and with early cortical visual areas. In the 157 medicated patients, these and other FCs were lower than in the unmedicated group. Parcellation was performed based on the FC of individual ACC voxels in healthy controls. A pregenual subdivision had high FC with medial orbitofrontal cortex areas, and a supracallosal subdivision had high FC with lateral orbitofrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus. The high FC in depression between the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the subcallosal parts of the ACC provides a mechanism for more non-reward information transmission to the ACC, contributing to depression. The high FC between the medial orbitofrontal cortex and supracallosal ACC in depression may also contribute to depressive symptoms.

Dissociable contributions of the left and right posterior medial orbitofrontal cortex in motivational control of goal-directed behavior

2011 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Szatkowska ◽  
Olga Szymańska ◽  
Artur Marchewka ◽  
Paweł Soluch ◽  
Krystyna Rymarczyk
Keyword(s):  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior ◽  
Motivational Control

Reward-period Activity in Primate Dorsolateral Prefrontal and Orbitofrontal Neurons Is Affected by Reward Schedules

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoe Ichihara-Takeda ◽  
Shintaro Funahashi
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Delayed Response ◽  
Gradual Change ◽  
Reward Schedule ◽  
Motivational State ◽  
Reward Delivery ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Reward-period activity observed in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is thought to represent the detection of reward delivery. To investigate whether this activity plays the same role in these areas, we examined this activity under different reward schedules and whether the reward schedule has similar effects on this activity in each of these areas. A monkey performed an oculomotor delayed-response (ODR) task under two reward schedules. In the ODR-1 schedule, the monkey received a large amount of reward only after four successful trials, whereas in the ODR-2 schedule, it received a small amount of reward after every successful trial. Although reward-period activity was observed in both areas, more neurons exhibited this activity in the OFC. Reward-period activity was modulated by the proximity to reward delivery in both areas and this feature was observed more frequently in the OFC. The onset time of this activity also gradually advanced depending on the proximity to reward delivery. Moreover, many OFC neurons with this activity responded to free reward delivery. These results indicate that reward-period activity in the OFC represents the detection of reward delivery and that the gradual change in the magnitude and the onset time of this activity represents the expectation of reward delivery. Similar features of reward-period activity were observed in DLPFC neurons, although a significant number of DLPFC neurons did not respond to free reward delivery and no advance was observed in the onset time of this activity. These results suggest that reward-period activity in the DLPFC participates in whether or not correct performance was achieved. Thus, although similar reward-period activity was observed in both areas, the activity in the OFC represents the detection of reward delivery and is affected by the monkey's motivational state, whereas that in the DLPFC seems to participate in monitoring whether or not the necessary performance is achieved.

Robust Encoding of Spatial Information in Orbitofrontal Cortex and Striatum

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 898-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seng Bum Michael Yoo ◽  
Brianna J. Sleezer ◽  
Benjamin Y. Hayden
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Ventral Striatum ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Dorsal Striatum ◽  
Spatial Position ◽  
Association Cortex ◽  
Choice Probability ◽  
Spatial Encoding ◽  
Reward Information

Knowing whether core reward regions carry information about the positions of relevant objects is crucial for adjudicating between choice models. One limitation of previous studies, including our own, is that spatial positions can be consistently differentially associated with rewards, and thus position can be confounded with attention, motor plans, or target identity. We circumvented these problems by using a task in which value—and thus choices—was determined solely by a frequently changing rule, which was randomized relative to spatial position on each trial. We presented offers asynchronously, which allowed us to control for reward expectation, spatial attention, and motor plans in our analyses. We find robust encoding of the spatial position of both offers and choices in two core reward regions, orbitofrontal Area 13 and ventral striatum, as well as in dorsal striatum of macaques. The trial-by-trial correlation in noise in encoding of position was associated with variation in choice, an effect known as choice probability correlation, suggesting that the spatial encoding is associated with choice and is not incidental to it. Spatial information and reward information are not carried by separate sets of neurons, although the two forms of information are temporally dissociable. These results highlight the ubiquity of multiplexed information in association cortex and argue against the idea that these ostensible reward regions serve as part of a pure value domain.

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