Dissociable contributions of the hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex to representing task space in a social context

Abstract

The hippocampus (HC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) jointly encode a map-like representation of a task space to guide behavior. It remains unclear how the OFC and HC interact in encoding this map-like representation, though previous studies indicated that both regions have different functions. We acquired the functional magnetic resonance imaging data under a social navigation task in which participants interacted with characters in a two-dimensional “social space.” We calculate the social relationships between the participants and characters and used a drift-diffusion model to capture the inner process of social interaction. Then we used multivoxel pattern analysis to explore the brain-behavior relationship. We found that (i) both the HC and the OFC showed higher activations during the selective trial than the narrative trial; (ii) the neural pattern of the right HC was associated with evidence accumulation during social interaction, and the pattern of the right lateral OFC was associated with the social relationship; (iii) the neural pattern of the HC can decode the participants choices, while the neural pattern of the OFC can decode the task information about trials. The study provided evidence for distinct roles of the HC and the OFC in encoding different information when representing social space.

Forming cognitive maps for abstract spaces: the roles of the human hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex

“…Our results indicated that the HIP may be responsible for updating the map of spaces and the OFC for utilizing the map to make inferences. In our recent study 72 , we also found that the HIP was involved in collecting and updating information, whereas the OFC was associated with the relationships between agents in the environment.…”

“…These results indicated that these two regions may adopt different roles in forming and representing a cognitive map. Previous studies suggested that the HIP and OFC are involved in different aspects of a cognitive map 29 , 72 , 73 . Our results indicated that the HIP may be responsible for updating the map of spaces and the OFC for utilizing the map to make inferences.…”

Multi-Timescale Compound Oscillations in Pyramidal Neurons: Insights from a Three-Compartment Model

“…The cerebral cortex and hippocampus are essential for higher cognitive functions such as memory, learning and navigation [1]. Pyramidal neurons, as the fundamental computational units in these brain structures, possess intricate dendritic morphologies and diverse ion channels, making them a primary focus in neuroscience research [2].…”