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Publication year
2010Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 107, 20, (2010), pp. 21767-21772ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
SW OZ DCC SMN
Journal title
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA
Volume
vol. 107
Issue
iss. 20
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 21767
Page end
p. 21772
Subject
Biological psychology; DI-BCB_DCC_Theme 2: Perception, Action and Control; Biologische psychologieAbstract
When we make decisions, the benefits of an option often need to be weighed against accompanying costs. Little is known, however, about the neural systems underlying such cost-benefit computations. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and choice modeling, we show that decision making based on cost-benefit comparison can be explained as a stochastic accumulation of cost-benefit difference. Model-driven functional MRI shows that ventromedial and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compare costs and benefits by computing the difference between neural signatures of anticipated benefits and costs from the ventral striatum and amygdala, respectively. Moreover, changes in blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal in the bilateral middle intraparietal sulcus reflect the accumulation of the difference signal from ventromedial prefrontal cortex. In sum, we show that a neurophysiological mechanism previously established for perceptual decision making, that is, the difference-based accumulation of evidence, is fundamental also in value-based decisions. The brain, thus, weighs costs against benefits by combining neural benefit and cost signals into a single, difference-based neural representation of net value, which is accumulated over time until the individual decides to accept or reject an option.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [202801]
- Electronic publications [100942]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [27106]
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