Context-specific configuration of orthogonal integrator dynamics for flexible foraging decisions

Abstract Adaptation of cognition and behavior across different contexts is a fundamental feature of intelligence, yet how neural circuits are reconfigured to support such flexibility remains poorly understood. Foraging, a ubiquitous and ecological behavior, provides a natural window into the neural basis of decision making and cognitive flexibility. We developed an experimental paradigm in which mice forage across two environment contexts defined by distinct reward dynamics. Mice adopted context-specific decision strategies that can be described as different configurations of integrator dynamics for “stay or leave” foraging decisions. Neural recordings reveal brain-wide activity states which organize largely separate neural subpopulations encoding context-specific configurations of integrator decision variables. In the dorsal frontal cortex, this orthogonal decision coding is preserved across free-moving and virtual task conditions and is necessary for flexible decision making. Together, these findings identify orthogonalization of integrator dynamics as a general neural mechanism that enables rapid, volitional switching between decision strategies. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes Clarifying edits to manuscript text, updated figures and schematics.