Learned behavioral responses to sounds depend largely on the expected outcomes associated with each potential choice. Where and how the nervous system integrates expectations about reward with auditory sensory information to drive appropriate decisions is not fully understood. Using a two-alternative choice task in which the expected reward associated with each sound varied over time, we investigated potential sites along the corticostriatal pathway for the integration of sound signals, behavioral choice, and reward information in male mice. We found that auditory cortical neurons encode not only sound identity, but also the animal's choice and the expected size of reward. This influence of reward expectation on sound-and choice-related activity was further enhanced in the major striatal target of the auditory cortex: the posterior tail of the dorsal striatum. These results indicate that choice-specific information is integrated with reward signals throughout the corticostriatal pathway, potentially contributing to adaptation in sound-driven behavior.

The neuronal pathways that link sounds to rewarded actions remain elusive. For instance, it is unclear whether neurons in the posterior tail of the dorsal striatum (which receive direct input from the auditory system) mediate action selection, as other striatal circuits do. Here, we examine the role of posterior striatal neurons in auditory decisions in mice. We find that, in contrast to the anterior dorsal striatum, activation of the posterior striatum does not elicit systematic movement. However, activation of posterior striatal neurons during sound presentation in an auditory discrimination task biases the animals’ choices, and transient inactivation of these neurons largely impairs sound discrimination. Moreover, the activity of these neurons during sound presentation reliably encodes stimulus features, but is only minimally influenced by the animals’ choices. Our results suggest that posterior striatal neurons play an essential role in auditory decisions, and provides a stable representation of sounds during auditory tasks.

The neuronal pathways that link sounds to rewarded actions remain elusive. For instance, it is unclear whether neurons in the posterior tail of the dorsal striatum (which receive direct input from the auditory system) mediate action selection, as other striatal circuits do. Here, we examine the role of posterior striatal neurons in auditory decisions in mice. We find that, in contrast to the anterior dorsal striatum, activation of the posterior striatum does not elicit systematic movement. However, activation of posterior striatal neurons during sound presentation in an auditory discrimination task biases the animals' choices, and transient inactivation of these neurons largely impairs sound discrimination. Moreover, the activity of these neurons during sound presentation reliably encodes stimulus features, but is only minimally influenced by the animals' choices. Our results suggest that posterior striatal neurons play an essential role in auditory decisions, and provides a stable representation of sounds during auditory tasks.