小柯机器人

美国加州大学伯克利分校Joni D. Wallis团队近期取得重要工作进展。他们研究发现，价值动态会影响决策过程中的选择准备。相关研究成果2023年8月10日在线发表于《自然—神经科学》杂志上。

据介绍，在决策过程中，眼窝前额皮质(OFC)中的神经元依次代表每个选项的价值，但目前还不清楚这些动态如何转化为选择反应。可能与这一过程有关的一个大脑区域是前扣带皮层（ACC），它与OFC紧密相连，并包含许多编码选择反应的神经元。

研究人员通过在非人灵长类动物的两个区域同时进行高通道计数记录，研究了OFC值信号如何与编码选择反应的ACC神经元相互作用。编码选择反应的ACC神经元在整个决策过程中稳步增加其放电率，在选择反应前不久达到峰值。

此外，OFC中的价值动态影响了ACC的提升，当OFC代表更有价值的选项时，ACC提升加速。由于OFC往往更频繁、更持久地代表更有价值的选择，这种互动可以解释ACC如何选择更有价值的响应。

附：英文原文

Title: Value dynamics affect choice preparation during decision-making

Author: Balewski, Zuzanna Z., Elston, Thomas W., Knudsen, Eric B., Wallis, Joni D.

Issue&Volume: 2023-08-10

Abstract: During decision-making, neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) sequentially represent the value of each option in turn, but it is unclear how these dynamics are translated into a choice response. One brain region that may be implicated in this process is the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which strongly connects with OFC and contains many neurons that encode the choice response. We investigated how OFC value signals interacted with ACC neurons encoding the choice response by performing simultaneous high-channel count recordings from the two areas in nonhuman primates. ACC neurons encoding the choice response steadily increased their firing rate throughout the decision-making process, peaking shortly before the time of the choice response. Furthermore, the value dynamics in OFC affected ACC ramping—when OFC represented the more valuable option, ACC ramping accelerated. Because OFC tended to represent the more valuable option more frequently and for a longer duration, this interaction could explain how ACC selects the more valuable response.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01407-3

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-023-01407-3

Nature Neuroscience：《自然—神经科学》，创刊于1998年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：28.771
官方网址：https://www.nature.com/neuro/
投稿链接：https://mts-nn.nature.com/cgi-bin/main.plex