Expectancy-related changes in firing of dopamine neurons depend on orbitofrontal cortex
Open accessAbstract
The orbitofrontal cortex has been hypothesized to carry information regarding the value of expected rewards. Such information is essential for associative learning, which relies on comparisons between expected and obtained reward for generating instructive error signals. These error signals are thought to be conveyed by dopamine neurons. To test whether orbitofrontal cortex contributes to these error signals, we recorded from dopamine neurons in orbitofrontal-lesioned rats performing a reward learning task. Lesions caused marked changes in dopaminergic error signaling. However, the effect of lesions was not consistent with a simple loss of information regarding expected value. Instead, without orbitofrontal input, dopaminergic error signals failed to reflect internal information about the impending response that distinguished externally similar states leading to differently valued future rewards. These results are consistent with current conceptualizations of orbitofrontal cortex as supporting model-based behavior and suggest an unexpected role for this information in dopaminergic error signaling.
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47/12o provided the information of task states to support the credit assignment in VTA.
“This result is consistent with the idea that 47/12o provided the information of task states to support the credit assignment in VTA.53”
From Two prefrontal-subcortical circuits estimate controllability and reflect its impact on learning (2026) · cites this paper as [53]
The Results (‘OFC signals state information to VTA’; page unavailable) propose that OFC supplies task-state identity information needed for value learning and VTA prediction-error signaling. But the study examined lesions of rat orbitofrontal regions, not 47/12o specifically, and its model routes state information through a value-learning system rather than directly to VTA dopamine neurons. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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References 52 · Cited by 280
- Authors
- Takahashi, Y. K., Roesch, M. R., Wilson, R. C., Toreson, K., O'Donnell, P., Niv, Y., & Schoenbaum, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Princeton University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Takahashi, Yuji K
- Schoenbaum, Geoffrey
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2011-10-30
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1590-1597
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- PMC
- PMC3225718
- OpenAlex
- W2161046428
- Cited by
- 280
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 10.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (K99MH083940)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA015718, K01DA021609, R01DA031695)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- orbitofrontal cortex, dopaminergic neurons, reward prediction error, model-based learning, reward value, lesion studies, error signal, associative learning, rats
- MeSH terms
- Action Potentials, Animals, Biotin, Choice Behavior, Computer Simulation, Dopamine, Electric Stimulation, Male, Models, Neurological, Neurons, Reward, Time Factors, Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase, Prefrontal Cortex, Ventral Tegmental Area, Rats, Long-Evans, Rats
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