Medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortices represent unique components of cognitive maps of task space

Abstract

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has recently been proposed to function as a cognitive map oftask space: a mental model of the various steps involved in a task. This idea has proven popularbecause it provides a cohesive explanation for a number of disparate findings regarding the OFC’srole in a broad array of tasks. Concurrently, mounting evidence has begun to reveal the functional heterogeneity of OFC subregions, particularly the medial and lateral OFC. How these subregions might uniquely contribute to the OFC’s role as a cognitive map of task space, however, has not been explored. Here we propose that the lateral OFC represents the agent’s initial position within that task map (i.e. initial state), determining which actions are available as a consequence of that position, whereas the medial OFC represents the agent’s desired future position within the task map(i.e. terminal state), influencing which actions are selected to achieve that position. We argue thatthese processes are achieved somewhat independently and somewhat interdependently, and are achieved through similar but non-identical circuitry.

Involvement of the rodent prelimbic and medial orbitofrontal cortices in goal‐directed action: A brief review

“…mOFC inactivation also causes rats to favor win–stay strategies in tasks that assess “risky” decision making—meaning that they favor behaviors that were previously reinforced, even at the expense of utilizing new, potentially more favorable response strategies (Stopper, Green, & Floresco, ). Together, these findings are consistent with arguments that the mOFC facilitates goal‐directed response shifting under circumstances that require adapting to uncertain conditions (Gourley et al, ), potentially via memory retrieval processes (Bradfield et al, ; see, for a review, Bradfield & Hart, ).…”

Real-Time Value Integration during Economic Choice Is Regulated by Orbitofrontal Cortex

“…Neural correlates implicate the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in value-based or economic decision making [1][2][3]. Yet inactivation of OFC in rats performing a rodent version of the standard economic choice task is without effect [4,5], a finding more in accord with ideas that the OFC is primarily necessary for behavior when new information must be taken into account [6][7][8][9]. Neural activity in the OFC spontaneously updates to reflect new information, particularly about outcomes [10][11][12][13][14][15][16], and the OFC is necessary for adjustments to learned behavior only under these conditions [4,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

The Transition from Evaluation to Selection Involves Neural Subspace Reorganization in Core Reward Regions

“…Indeed, they likely do have qualitative differences with regards to other functions, and those should, in principle, be predictable from their connectivity. For example, Bradfield and Hart (2019) have proposed that these regions both participate in encoding a cognitive map of state space but have an emphasis on initial and anticipated future positions, respectively. For other examples, see compelling cases made by Bouret and Richmond (2015), Monosov andHikosaka (2012), andNoonan et al (2010).…”