Dopamine neurons encode trial-by-trial subjective reward value in an auction-like task.

ABSTRACT: The dopamine reward prediction error signal is known to be subjective but has so far only been assessed in aggregate choices. However, personal choices fluctuate across trials and thus reflect the instantaneous subjective reward value. In the well-established Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) auction-like mechanism, participants are encouraged to place bids that accurately reveal their instantaneous subjective reward value; inaccurate bidding results in suboptimal reward ('incentive compatibility'). In our experiment, male rhesus monkeys became experienced over several years to place accurate BDM bids for juice rewards without specific external constraints. Their bids for physically identical rewards varied trial by trial and increased overall for larger rewards. In these highly experienced an

SUBMITTER: Hill DF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9882283 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature