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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.03.12.711369

A corticostriatal circuit updates subjective beliefs about latent task states

Constantinople, C. M.·DeMaegd, M. L.·Hocker, D.·Gurnani, H.·Adler-Wachter, M.·Schindler, J.·Schiereck, S. S.·Savin, C.
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Abstract

Beliefs about states of the world profoundly impact decision-making and learning, but little is known about how neural circuits represent and update beliefs. We performed projection-specific recordings and perturbations from neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) projecting to the intermediate or rostral cau-date putamen (CPi/CPr) in rats performing a task with hidden reward states. Stimulating OFC[->]CPi neurons biased rats beliefs towards high reward states. Recordings from optogenetically-tagged OFC[->]CPi neurons showed that they encoded categorical evidence for high reward states, shaped by a saturating non-linearity in neural responses. Downstream neurons could, in principle, decode the full belief distribution over reward states as rats deliberated about deci-sions. Finally, projection-specific perturbations disrupted encoding of hidden states within OFC. These findings reveal the circuit implementation of a core cognitive computation, updating subjective beliefs about abstract latent states of the environment.

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Constantinople, C. M., DeMaegd, M. L., Hocker, D., Gurnani, H., Adler-Wachter, M., Schindler, J., Schiereck, S. S., Savin, C.. 2026-03-14. A corticostriatal circuit updates subjective beliefs about latent task states. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.12.711369

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