美国德克萨斯大学Thomas W. Elston等研究人员，揭示了灵长类动物海马-前额叶回路中的情境依赖决策制定。该项研究成果于2025年1月6日在线发表在《自然—神经科学》杂志上。

研究人员表示，在某些情境下好的决策，在另一些情境下可能是坏的。尽管这种情境依赖的推理在日常选择中无处不在，但大脑如何灵活地在不同情境下使用不同的估值方案仍然未知。

研究人员通过监测两只猴子在执行状态依赖性选择任务时，从海马（HPC）和眶额皮层（OFC）记录神经活动来解决这个问题。研究人员发现，HPC神经元在状态信息可用时编码状态信息，然后在选择时通过θ波同步将这些信息传递给OFC。

在选择过程中，眶额皮层以状态依赖的方式表示价值。许多OFC神经元仅在某一种状态下编码价值，而在另一种状态下不编码。

这表明了一种功能性分离，其中HPC编码情境信息，并通过θ波同步将其广播到OFC，从而选择一个状态适应的价值子回路，进而使基于价值的选择能够进行情境推理。

附：英文原文

Title: Context-dependent decision-making in the primate hippocampal–prefrontal circuit

Author: Elston, Thomas W., Wallis, Joni D.

Issue&Volume: 2025-01-06

Abstract: What is good in one scenario may be bad in another. Despite the ubiquity of such contextual reasoning in everyday choice, how the brain flexibly uses different valuation schemes across contexts remains unknown. We addressed this question by monitoring neural activity from the hippocampus (HPC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of two monkeys performing a state-dependent choice task. We found that HPC neurons encoded state information as it became available and then, at the time of choice, relayed this information to the OFC via theta synchronization. During choice, the OFC represented value in a state-dependent manner; many OFC neurons uniquely coded for value in only one state but not the other. This suggests a functional dissociation whereby the HPC encodes contextual information that is broadcast to the OFC via theta synchronization to select a state-appropriate value subcircuit, thereby allowing for contextual reasoning in value-based choice.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01839-5

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01839-5