Biology subjects

Schoknecht, H.

Publications and source records attributed to Schoknecht, H..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Laminar Architecture of a Decision Circuit in Orbitofrontal Cortex

During economic choice, different neurons in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) encode individual offer values, the binary choice outcome, and the chosen value. Previous work suggests that these cell groups form a decision circuit, but the anatomical organization of this circuit is poorly understood. Using calcium imaging, we recorded from layer 2/3 (L2/3) and layer 5 (L5) of mice choosing between juice flavors. Decision variables were differentially represented across layers: juice-specific offer values and their spatial configuration were predominant in L2/3, while spatial offer values, chosen side, and chosen value were predominant in L5. Within each layer, functional cell groups were organized in clusters. The temporal dynamics of neural signals in the two layers indicated a combination of feed-forward and feed-back processes, and pointed to L5 as the locus for winner-take-all value comparison. These results reveal that economic decisions rely on a complex architecture distributed across layers of OFC.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

The Representation of Decision Variables in Orbitofrontal Cortex is Longitudinally Stable

The computation and comparison of subjective values underlying economic choices rely on the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In this area, distinct groups of neurons encode the value of individual options, the binary choice outcome, and the chosen value. These variables capture both the input and the output of the choice process, suggesting that the cell groups found in OFC constitute the building blocks of a decision circuit. Here we show that this neural circuit is longitudinally stable. Using two-photon calcium imaging, we recorded from mice choosing between different juice flavors. Recordings of individual cells continued for up to 20 weeks. For each cell and each pair of sessions, we compared the activity profiles using cosine similarity, and we assessed whether the cell encoded the same variable in both sessions. These analyses revealed a high degree of stability and a modest representational drift. A quantitative estimate indicated this drift would not randomize the circuit within the animals lifetime.

neuroscience↗