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Risk-sensitive neurons in macaque posterior cingulate cortex

Nature Neuroscience volume 8, pages 1220–1227 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

People and animals often demonstrate strong attraction or aversion to options with uncertain or risky rewards, yet the neural substrate of subjective risk preferences has rarely been investigated. Here we show that monkeys systematically preferred the risky target in a visual gambling task in which they chose between two targets offering the same mean reward but differing in reward uncertainty. Neuronal activity in posterior cingulate cortex (CGp), a brain area linked to visual orienting and reward processing, increased when monkeys made risky choices and scaled with the degree of risk. CGp activation was better predicted by the subjective salience of a chosen target than by its actual value. These data suggest that CGp signals the subjective preferences that guide visual orienting.

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Figure 1: Method for investigating risk sensitivity in macaque posterior cingulate cortex.
Figure 2: Monkeys prefer targets offering uncertain rewards.
Figure 3: Posterior cingulate neurons are risk-sensitive.
Figure 4: Target risk enhances neuronal activity in CGp as well as sensitivity to movement direction.
Figure 5: Average heart rate does not increase with increasing risk.
Figure 6: Population neuronal activity reflects monkeys' preference for risky targets but not prior reward outcomes.
Figure 7: CGp neurons carry information about both target choice and subjective target utility.
Figure 8: Both the frequency of risky target choices and neuronal activity gradually increase after block changes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank G. Haghighian and J. Crowley for their contribution to the early stages of this work. We also thank S. Roberts for assistance in animal care and S. Huettel, J. Stowe, P. Glimcher, R. Deaner, J. Roitman, M. Bendiksby, S. Shepherd and A. Khera for valuable comments on the manuscript. Supported by the Klingenstein Foundation, the Duke Provost's Common Fund and the National Eye Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3209, Durham, 27710, North Carolina, USA

    Allison N McCoy & Michael L Platt

  2. Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3209, Durham, 27710, North Carolina, USA

    Michael L Platt

  3. Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3209, Durham, 27710, North Carolina, USA

    Michael L Platt

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Correspondence to Michael L Platt.

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McCoy, A., Platt, M. Risk-sensitive neurons in macaque posterior cingulate cortex. Nat Neurosci 8, 1220–1227 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1523

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