Neuronal tug-of-war in orbitofrontal cortex resolves risk-reward decisions

September 17, 2026 at 05:00 AM2 min

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Researchers recorded electrical activity directly from the orbitofrontal cortex of six people and identified two neighboring areas that compete during risk-reward decisions. Neurons in one area became more active before participants chose to pursue a reward, while neurons in the other area became more active before they chose to avoid a risk. The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience on 15 September, may help understand risk-taking and avoidant behavior in psychiatric conditions.

Key Facts

The study was published in Nature Neuroscience on 15 September.
Researchers recorded electrical activity directly from the brains of six people with surgically implanted electrodes in the orbitofrontal cortex.
Neurons in one orbitofrontal cortex area became more active before participants chose to pursue a reward, while neurons in the other area became more active before they chose to avoid a risk.
For tough decisions, neuronal signals rapidly flickered between the two regions before settling on a choice.
The findings might help researchers better understand risk-taking and avoidant behavior in conditions such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction, and gambling disorders.

Neural Conflict

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is a region in the brain's frontal lobe involved in decision-making when risk and reward must be balanced. Researchers identified two neighboring areas in the OFC that are anti-correlated in real time: millisecond by millisecond, when one is excited, the other is suppressed. Study co-author Clara Starkweather, a neurosurgery resident at the University of California, San Francisco, described the finding as a 'tug of war' between rival neuronal groups. Pablo Billeke, a neurobiologist at the University of Development in Santiago, Chile, noted that the OFC is 'the usual suspect for decision-making' but is difficult to analyze in brain-imaging studies due to its location above the eye socket and sinuses.

Experimental Design

Six participants had electrodes surgically implanted in their OFC as part of an existing treatment for epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. The researchers designed a video game in which participants navigated corridors lined with treasure chests and bombs, with six seconds to choose whether to approach or avoid each hallway. Some choices were 'no-brainers', such as entering a corridor with seven treasure chests and no bombs, while others presented an approach-avoidance conflict with an even number of each or seven treasures and four bombs.