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Contribution Details

Type Journal Article
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Human insula activation reflects risk prediction errors as well as risk
Organization Unit
Authors
  • K Preuschoff
  • S R Quartz
  • P Bossaerts
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Journal Title Journal of Neuroscience
Publisher Society for Neuroscience
Geographical Reach international
ISSN 0270-6474
Volume 28
Number 11
Page Range 2745 - 2752
Date 2008
Abstract Text Understanding how organisms deal with probabilistic stimulus-reward associations has been advanced by a convergence between reinforcement learning models and primate physiology, which demonstrated that the brain encodes a reward prediction error signal. However, organisms must also predict the level of risk associated with reward forecasts, monitor the errors in those risk predictions, and update these in light of new information. Risk prediction serves a dual purpose: (1) to guide choice in risk-sensitive organisms and (2) to modulate learning of uncertain rewards. To date, it is not known whether or how the brain accomplishes risk prediction. Using functional imaging during a simple gambling task in which we constantly changed risk, we show that an early-onset activation in the human insula correlates significantly with risk prediction error and that its time course is consistent with a role in rapid updating. Additionally, we show that activation previously associated with general uncertainty emerges with a delay consistent with a role in risk prediction. The activations correlating with risk prediction and risk prediction errors are the analogy for risk of activations correlating with reward prediction and reward prediction errors for reward expectation. As such, our findings indicate that our understanding of the neural basis of reward anticipation under uncertainty needs to be expanded to include risk prediction.
Free access at PubMed ID
Digital Object Identifier 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4286-07.2008
PubMed ID 18337404
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Additional Information Holder of copyright: The Society for Neuroscience