Neural circuit mechanisms for value-to-action transformation during economic decision-making

In economic decision-making, individuals make multi-attribute choices by computing and comparing expected values of different offers. For example, if presented with multiple lottery offers, one may trade-off the prize amount against the odds of winning for the different options when deciding which lottery to play. These types of abstract decisions can be formed in value-space before choices are planned and executed in action-space. However, dissecting the neural mechanisms that delineate these processes is challenging as value representations are often correlated with other ongoing cognitive and preparatory signals. To address this, I have developed a novel behavioural task for head-fixed mice that separates value-guided choice from motor planning. Here, I propose to apply large-scale chronic neuronal recording and circuit perturbation tools to investigate the contributions of value and action-space neural circuits to economic choice. Specifically, this research will address multiple long-standing questions in the field, including whether economic decisions are made in value-space or action-space, which cortical areas constitute the critical nodes in value and action networks and most importantly, the pathways and neural mechanisms involved in value-to-action transformation. This work has the potential to transform our understanding of how abstract decision-making processes drive our behavioural actions in the external world.