The Importance of Circuits for Decision-Making

 

Figuring out what areas of the brain are responsible for our decision-making skills has been a question that neuroscientists have been trying to figure out. Whether it’s studying the brain region, neural networks, or circuits. Scientists Fang Wang and Thorsten Kahnt study how Neural Circuits are Used for Inference-Based Decision making. Both scientists have collaborated on a paper previously studying how behavior is basically based on direct experience versus distinct brain circuits.  In this 2020 study for the journal of neuroscience titled Targeted Simulation of Orbitofrontal Network Disrupts Decisions Based on Inferred, Not Experienced Outcomes. They primarily studied how did the orbital frontal cortex contains neural signatures, in which the activity is required for inference-based behavior in the end. In this previous article it was also concluded that activity in the orbitofrontal cortex network indeed supports decision making outcomes. The study of how neural circuits can be used for inference-based decision making is their most recent study. Compared against scientists Yanhe Li, Yu Xin, and Ning-long Xu who studied Cortical circuit mechanism for structural knowledge base flexible sensorimotor decision-making. In this blog we are going to compare the differences in techniques and methods use both research teams in their goal to figure out how decision-making is conducted through different circuits in the brain.  

The first study we are going to be discussing is Neural Circuits are Used for Inference-Based Decision making by scientists Fang Wang and Thorsten Kahnt. Unlike other papers we’ve read, this was testing a behavior and discussion the results as a review. In this review they discussed the brain regions and the networks that were involved in inference-based behavior and how it relates to decision making. They had inference-based decision making skills that were being tested. The hypothesis that they proposed was that both of the takes that were going to be studied were going to be depended on “flexible use of learned association… supported by the side of the brain areas including the orbital frontal cortex hippocampus and amygdala (Wang et al, pg. 1) They had tested two groups, the first group discussed decisions and novel situations, which lead to predicting future outcomes. The second group was teste on them having to consider cases where outcomes would change as a result of learned experience. This study was performed on rodents and nonhuman primates using “classical behavior tasks, sensory precondition and devaluation. In the second study Cortical circuit mechanism for structural knowledge base flexible sensorimotor decision-making scientists Yanhe Li, Yu Xin, and Ning-long Xu wanted to primarily investigate how task structure in the auditory cortex were used involving top-down methods within the orbital frontal cortex to influence decision making because the auditory cortex categorize different stimulus is to impact decision making. They concluded that the “cortical circuit mechanism is the underlying structure” (Li et al, pg. 1) for the overall knowledge based flexible decision-making similarly to the previous study they also used rodents as their test subjects in which they also discovered that “mice as well can perform at flexible auditory  categorization”(Li et al, pg. 2) using not only different category boundaries but also change based on structural knowledge to influence decision making. 

Both studies emphasized the different circuits that were needed for decision-making whether it was neural circuits or cortical circuit mechanisms. Both studies ultimately resulted in highlighting the importance of the the orbital frontal cortex on decision making. While in the first study it was coupled up with the hippocampus and the amygdala, it’s dead clear that the orbital frontal cortex plays the most important role as it was the main section of the brain that was used in decision-making as well in the second study. Ultimately whether it is neural circuits or cortical circuits as long as there is Circuit for the orbital frontal cortex to connect to there will be an influence on the decision-based behavior and decision making skills.

Works Cited

Liu, Yanhe, et al. “A Cortical Circuit Mechanism for Structural Knowledge-Based Flexible Sensorimotor Decision-Making.” Neuron, vol. 109, no. 12, 2021, doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2021.04.014.

Wang, Fang, and Thorsten Kahnt. “Neural Circuits for Inference-Based Decision-Making.” Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, vol. 41, 2021, pp. 10–14., doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.02.004.

Wang, Fang, et al. “Targeted Stimulation of an Orbitofrontal Network Disrupts Decisions Based on Inferred, Not Experienced Outcomes.” The Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 40, no. 45, 2020, pp. 8726–8733., doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1680-20.2020.