Human claustrum neurons encode uncertainty and prediction errors during aversive learning.

Human claustrum neurons encode uncertainty and prediction errors during aversive learning, with distinct temporal profiles compared to anterior cingulate cortex.

• Why it matters: Understanding how neural circuits support flexible behavior and internal model updating is crucial, yet remains poorly understood, especially in humans.
• What they did: Single-neuron recordings from the human claustrum, anterior cingulate cortex, and amygdala during aversive learning revealed that claustrum neurons encode higher-order cognitive variables like uncertainty and prediction error, with different timing compared to the anterior cingulate cortex.
• The result: These findings suggest that the human claustrum tracks latent task states beyond sensory input and plays a dissociable role from the anterior cingulate cortex in processing cognitive variables during aversive learning.