A mechanism for value-guided choice based on the excitation-inhibition balance in prefrontal cortex
Open accessAbstract
Although the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has long been implicated in reward-guided decision making, its exact role in this process has remained an unresolved issue. Here we show that, in accordance with models of decision making, vmPFC concentrations of GABA and glutamate in human volunteers predict both behavioral performance and the dynamics of a neural value comparison signal. These data provide evidence for a neural competition mechanism in vmPFC that supports value-guided choice.
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The vmPFC is typically associated with value computation and value-guided choice.
“Given that the vmPFC is typically associated with value computation and value-guided choice 34,35 , these results may suggest a potential amygdala pathway linked to social preferences and social value-based decisions, which can be modulated by oxytocin in individualists.”
From Oxytocin modulates social value representations in the amygdala (2019) · cites this paper as [35]
Activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and lOFC correlated with subjective preference ratings for monetary allocations collapsing across the four groups.
“We found activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and lOFC, brain regions typically associated with value-coding 34,35 , correlated with subjective preference ratings for monetary allocations collapsing across the four groups.”
From Oxytocin modulates social value representations in the amygdala (2019) · cites this paper as [35]
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- Authors
- Jocham, G., Hunt, L. T., Near, J., & Behrens, T. E. J.
- Affiliations
- John Radcliffe Hospital (GB)
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Jocham, Gerhard
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2012-06-17
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 960-961
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- PMC
- PMC4050076
- OpenAlex
- W2000469915
- Cited by
- 183
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 16
- FWCI
- 8.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust (WT080540MA, WT088312AIA, 080540, 088312)
- 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
- ventromedial prefrontal cortex, excitation-inhibition balance, GABA, glutamate, neural competition, decision models, human volunteers
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Brain Mapping, Choice Behavior, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Male, Psychomotor Performance, Reward, Prefrontal Cortex, Young Adult
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