Independent and Interacting Value Systems for Reward and Information in the Human Prefrontal Cortex [article]

Irene Cogliati Dezza, Axel Cleeremans, William Alexander
2020 bioRxiv   pre-print
Theories of Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) as optimizing reward value have been widely deployed to explain its activity in a diverse range of contexts, and appear to have substantial empirical support in neuroeconomics and decision neuroscience{Shenhav, 2013 #103;Shenhav, 2014 #79;Shenhav, 2016 #104;Shenhav, 2016 #344;Shenhav, 2016 #89}. Theoretical frameworks of brain function, however, suggest the existence of a second, independent value system for optimizing information during decision-making. To
more » ... te, however, there has been little direct empirical evidence in favor of such frameworks. Here, by using computational modeling, model-based fMRI analysis, and a novel experimental paradigm, we aim at establishing whether independent value systems exist in human PFC. We identify two regions in the human PFC which independently encode distinct value signals. These value signals are then combined in subcortical regions in order to implement choices. Our results provide empirical evidence for PFC as an optimizer of independent value signals during decision-making. And, it suggests a new perspective on how to look at decision-making processes in the human brain under realistic scenarios, with clear implications for the interpretation of PFC activity in both healthy and clinical population.
doi:10.1101/2020.05.04.075739 fatcat:whchemzmkrajdkvjz4dz5zodk4