Neural circuits involved in decision-making strategies in uncertain situations

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K06948
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 46030:Function of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: Doshisha University
• Principal Investigator: Hirokawa Junya 同志社大学, 研究開発推進機構, 准教授 (40546470)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 意思決定 / 知覚弁別 / 価値判断 / 光遺伝学 / 前頭前野 / 不確実性 / 線条体 / 視覚野

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Animals have the ability to switch their behavioral strategies in response to uncertain situations. This study aimed to understand how animals recognize perceptual uncertainty and utilize it in their behavior. Specifically, rats were trained on perceptual decision tasks under uncertainty, and the activity patterns of neurons in the prefrontal cortex were analyzed. The results revealed the existence of functional clusters of neurons in the prefrontal cortex that carry information about confidence, reawrd amount and integrated value for optimal decisions. In addition, one of these clusters showed close relationship with anatomical structures (striatum). Furthermore, we found that neural activities independent of visual responses in the visual cortex was associated with strategies for animals' behavioral response to visual stimuli.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、意思決定時における前頭前野の神経細胞群の機能的構成を明らかにし、少なくとも一部の機能的集団と神経投射の間に密接な対応関係があることを示しました。この発見により、例えば、本研究で同定された神経回路（前頭前野→線条体投射）を標的とすることで、意思決定に障害を示す依存症などの精神神経疾患を、より効果的に治癒する方法の開発につながると考えています。また、視覚野において視覚応答を示さない神経細胞の活動が行動戦略に重要な役割を果たしていることを示し、視覚野が単純な視覚情報処理を超えた役割を果たしていることを示した。