Biologically plausible mechanisms underlying motor response correction during reward-based decision-making

Our propensity to acclimate to new surroundings and flexibly choose an optimal behavior for a maximal reward (i.e., optimal outcome) is natural, for it affects our survival. A line of studies suggested that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) could be a potential hub for adaptive behaviors, but its exact functions remain poorly understood. One experimental study suggested that ACC can enable monkeys to correct errors, but another study found that a legion of ACC did not impair monkeys’ ability to correct errors. Instead, it made monkeys incapable of maintaining their optimal actions. Given the importance of ACC in reward-based decision-making, it is imperative to better understand the functions of ACC in reward-based decision-making. To this end, we sought biologically-plausible mechanisms to account for the two seemingly conflicting results mentioned above by utilizing a computational model. From our simulations, we found that 1) the interplay between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and ACC can account for both experimental observations and 2) ACC can correct behavioral responses by reading out and updating motor plans (guiding future motor responses) stored in PFC.