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Processing in Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Is Required to Estimate Subjective Preference during Initial, but Not Established, Economic Choice

Matthew Gardner, Ph.D.

Matthew Gardner, Ph.D.

Hot Off the Press – November 23 , 2020

Adaptive decision making requires us to imagine – or mentally simulate – potential outcomes, particularly when potential outcomes are far off, uncertain, or even anecdotal. This ability depends in part on the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) , an important part of the frontal lobe altered in addiction. Previously it was thought this dependence reflected a role for the OFC in representing the cognitive maps – the associative models of the world – that support mental simulation during the decision-making process. Here we show that this is not the case – the OFC is not necessary for the use of an established map but is instead required only when disparate maps must be integrated or updated with new information. This result narrows and better specifies the function of the OFC within a network of structures critical for adaptive decision-making.

Publication Information

Gardner, Matthew P H; Sanchez, Davied; Conroy, Jessica C; Wikenheiser, Andrew M; Zhou, Jingfeng; Schoenbaum, Geoffrey

Processing in Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Is Required to Estimate Subjective Preference during Initial, but Not Established, Economic Choice Journal Article

In: Neuron, vol. 108, no. 3, pp. 526–537.e4, 2020, ISBN: 0896-6273.

Abstract | Links

@article{Gardner:2020aa,
title = {Processing in Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Is Required to Estimate Subjective Preference during Initial, but Not Established, Economic Choice},
author = {Matthew P H Gardner and Davied Sanchez and Jessica C Conroy and Andrew M Wikenheiser and Jingfeng Zhou and Geoffrey Schoenbaum},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32888408/},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2020.08.010},
isbn = {0896-6273},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-11-11},
booktitle = {Neuron},
journal = {Neuron},
volume = {108},
number = {3},
pages = {526--537.e4},
publisher = {Elsevier},
abstract = {The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is proposed to be critical to economic decision making. Yet one can inactivate OFC without affecting well-practiced choices. One possible explanation of this lack of effect is that well-practiced decisions are codified into habits or configural-based policies not normally thought to require OFC. Here, we tested this idea by training rats to choose between different pellet pairs across a set of standard offers and then inactivating OFC subregions during choices between novel offers of previously experienced pairs or between novel pairs of previously experienced pellets. Contrary to expectations, controls performed as well on novel as experienced offers yet had difficulty initially estimating their subjective preference on novel pairs, difficulty exacerbated by lateral OFC inactivation. This pattern of results indicates that established economic choice reflects the use of an underlying model or goods space and that lateral OFC is only required for normal behavior when the established framework must incorporate new information.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

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The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is proposed to be critical to economic decision making. Yet one can inactivate OFC without affecting well-practiced choices. One possible explanation of this lack of effect is that well-practiced decisions are codified into habits or configural-based policies not normally thought to require OFC. Here, we tested this idea by training rats to choose between different pellet pairs across a set of standard offers and then inactivating OFC subregions during choices between novel offers of previously experienced pairs or between novel pairs of previously experienced pellets. Contrary to expectations, controls performed as well on novel as experienced offers yet had difficulty initially estimating their subjective preference on novel pairs, difficulty exacerbated by lateral OFC inactivation. This pattern of results indicates that established economic choice reflects the use of an underlying model or goods space and that lateral OFC is only required for normal behavior when the established framework must incorporate new information.

Close

  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32888408/
  • doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2020.08.010

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