UC Berkeley

Neurons throughout frontal cortex show robust responses to rewards, but a challenge is determining the specific function served by these different reward signals. Most neuropsychiatric disorders involve dysfunction of circuits between frontal cortex and subcortical structures, such as the striatum. There are multiple frontostriatal loops, and different neuropsychiatric disorders involve different loops to greater or lesser extents. Understanding the role of reward in each of these different circuits is a necessary step in developing novel treatments for these disorders. This chapter summarizes the recent literature that has identified the role of reward in different subregions of the frontal cortex. Orbitofrontal cortex integrates information about multiple aspects of expected rewards in order to derive their value, which can then be used to decide between alternative potential rewards. Neurons in anterior cingulate cortex encode the difference between the expected reward and the actual outcome. This information is useful for learning, since it can ensure that behavior changes when the outcome was not anticipated. Reward also affects signals in lateral prefrontal cortex related to attention and response selection, ensuring that behaviors are optimally prioritized. Finally, the chapter discusses how reward signals contribute to social processing and autonomic control.