Laminar architecture of a decision circuit in the mouse orbitofrontal cortex

During economic choice, different neurons in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) encode individual offer values, the binary choice outcome, and the chosen value. Previous work suggests that these cell groups form a decision circuit, but the anatomical organization of this circuit is poorly understood. Using calcium imaging, we recorded from layer 2/3 (L2/3) and layer 5 (L5) of mice choosing between different juice flavors offered in variable amounts. Decision variables were differentially represented across layers: juice-specific offer values and their spatial configuration were predominant in L2/3, while spatial offer values, chosen side, and chosen value were predominant in L5. Within each layer, functional cell groups were organized in clusters. The temporal dynamics of neural signals in the two layers indicated a combination of feed-forward and feed-back processes, and pointed to L5 as the locus for winner-take-all value comparison. These results reveal that economic decisions rely on a complex architecture distributed across layers of OFC. Economic choices rely on orbitofrontal cortex. The authors show that input and output variables are primarily encoded in superficial and deep layers, respectively, revealing a laminar organization in the decision circuit in mice.