Primate anterior insular cortex represents economic decision variables proposed by prospect theory

This study investigates the neuronal mechanisms underlying context-dependent risk attitude in macaques, modeled using prospect theory. The research shows that macaques, similar to humans, adjust their risk attitude based on wealth levels and gain/loss contexts. Neurons in the anterior insular cortex (AIC) encode the reference point (current wealth) and exhibit loss aversion, aligning with prospect theory's assumptions. Furthermore, AIC neuron activity fluctuations correlate with inter-trial variations in choice and risk attitude, suggesting AIC's role in monitoring contextual information guiding risk acceptance.

You-Ping Yang, Xinjian Li, Veit Stuphorn