Vincent Costa, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Neuroscience
Oregon National Primate Research Center
Oregon Health & Science University

Disynaptic motivational circuits regulate decisions to explore or exploit

Motivational circuits facilitate reinforcement learning and support computations relevant for solving the explore-exploit dilemma. But it has been difficult to dissect the neural circuits involved in exploration, since these choices rely on latent value computations about the future value of actions. Dr. Costa will discuss the use of virtual tokens are used as secondary reinforcers to examine the neural bases of valence dependent exploratory decision making in rhesus macaques. Using virtual tokens to manipulate the time horizon over which monkeys make their decisions it is clear that macaques learn to value information over immediate rewards in order to effectively manage explore-exploit tradeoffs. This ability relies on encoding of value signals in frontopolar and orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, and ventral striatum. Using an intersectional viral tracing and chemogenetic approaches, Dr. Costa will also discuss the role of disynaptic networks anchored by amygdala projections to the ventral striatum in mediating macaques’ preference to explore novel opportunities whose value is uncertain.

Faculty Host: Veit Stuphorn