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Learning the value of options in an uncertain environment is central to optimal decision making. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been implicated in using reinforcement information to control behavior. Here we demonstrate that the ACC's critical role in reinforcement-guided behavior is neither in detecting nor in correcting errors, but in guiding voluntary choices based on the history of actions and outcomes. ACC lesions did not impair the performance of monkeys (Macaca mulatta) immediately after errors, but made them unable to sustain rewarded responses in a reinforcement-guided choice task and to integrate risk and payoff in a dynamic foraging task. These data suggest that the ACC is essential for learning the value of actions.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/nn1724

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nat Neurosci

Publication Date

07/2006

Volume

9

Pages

940 - 947

Keywords

Animals, Behavior, Animal, Conditioning, Operant, Decision Making, Gyrus Cinguli, Macaca mulatta, Male, Probability Learning, Psychomotor Performance, Reinforcement (Psychology), Reinforcement Schedule