Fictive Reward Signals in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Benjamin Y. Hayden,1,*
John M. Pearson,1
Michael L. Platt1,2
The neural mechanisms supporting the ability to recognize and
respond to fictive outcomes, outcomes of actions that one has
not taken, remain obscure. We hypothesized that neurons in the
anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which monitors the consequences
of actions and mediates subsequent changes in behavior, would
respond to fictive reward information. We recorded responses
of single neurons during performance of a choice task that provided
information about the reward values of options that were not
chosen. We found that ACC neurons signal fictive reward information
and use a coding scheme similar to that used to signal experienced
outcomes. Thus, individual ACC neurons process both experienced
and fictive rewards.
2 Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hayden{at}neuro.duke.edu
