Disruption of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decreases model-based in favor of model-free control in humans
Open accessAbstract
Human choice behavior often reflects a competition between inflexible computationally efficient control on the one hand and a slower more flexible system of control on the other. This distinction is well captured by model-free and model-based reinforcement learning algorithms. Here, studying human subjects, we show it is possible to shift the balance of control between these systems by disruption of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, such that participants manifest a dominance of the less optimal model-free control. In contrast, disruption of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex impaired model-based performance only in those participants with low working memory capacity.
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Disrupting prefrontal function using TMS renders behavior more habitual.
“For example, disrupting prefrontal function using TMS renders behavior more habitual (Smittenaar et al., 2013), while boosting dopaminergic function enhances psychological and electrophysiological signatures of such maintenance processes (Moran et al., 2011).”
From Goals and Habits in the Brain (2013) · cites this paper as Smittenaar et al., 2013
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References 34 · Cited by 244
- Authors
- Smittenaar, P., FitzGerald, T. H. B., Romei, V., Wright, N. D., & Dolan, R. J.
- Affiliations
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (GB)
- University of Essex (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Smittenaar, Peter
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-11
- Volume
- 80
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 914-919
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3893454
- OpenAlex
- W2103492232
- Cited by
- 244
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 12.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Open Access at Essex (University of Essex) (submittedVersion)
- UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust (092859/Z/10/, 091593/Z/10/, 098362/Z/12/)
- Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale School of Medicine
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Keywords
- dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, model-based reinforcement learning, model-free reinforcement learning, choice behavior, cognitive control, working memory capacity, decision-making, cognitive flexibility
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Behavior, Choice Behavior, Female, Humans, Functional Laterality, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Models, Neurological, Psychomotor Performance, Theta Rhythm, Prefrontal Cortex, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Young Adult
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