The DOI matches its Crossref record; 105 of the 106 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Neurons in the Frontal Lobe Encode the Value of Multiple Decision Variables
Open accessAbstract
A central question in behavioral science is how we select among choice alternatives to obtain consistently the most beneficial outcomes. Three variables are particularly important when making a decision: the potential payoff, the probability of success, and the cost in terms of time and effort. A key brain region in decision making is the frontal cortex as damage here impairs the ability to make optimal choices across a range of decision types. We simultaneously recorded the activity of multiple single neurons in the frontal cortex while subjects made choices involving the three aforementioned decision variables. This enabled us to contrast the relative contribution of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the orbito-frontal cortex, and the lateral prefrontal cortex to the decision-making process. Neurons in all three areas encoded value relating to choices involving probability, payoff, or cost manipulations. However, the most significant signals were in the ACC, where neurons encoded multiplexed representations of the three different decision variables. This supports the notion that the ACC is an important component of the neural circuitry underlying optimal decision making.
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“Although PFo has long been thought to represent positive and negative valuations, it has only recently been appreciated that PFo neurons can represent value independent of stimulus identity (86–89).”
From Localization of Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder: Prefrontal Cortex and Amygdala (2011) · cites this paper as [89]
In the citing paper
“neurophysiological studies in awake, behaving monkeys have revealed that neurons in MFa signal the value of expected rewards (89).”
From Localization of Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder: Prefrontal Cortex and Amygdala (2011) · cites this paper as [89]
In the citing paper
“In addition, single-unit studies have shown that dACC/dmPFC neurons signal the net value of rewards associated with effort, and the necessity of this region in cost–benefit valuation has been demonstrated by lesion studies that report that inactivation of medial prefrontal cortex impairs an animal’s ability to overcome effort costs [15, 16, 25, 48, 55].”
From Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying subjective valuation of effort costs (2017) · cites this paper as [55]
In the citing paper
“In addition, single-unit studies have shown that dACC/dmPFC neurons signal the net value of rewards associated with effort, and the necessity of this region in cost–benefit valuation has been demonstrated by lesion studies that report that inactivation of medial prefrontal cortex impairs an animal’s ability to overcome effort costs [15, 16, 25, 48, 55].”
From Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying subjective valuation of effort costs (2017) · cites this paper as [55]
In the citing paper
“Neurons sensitive to reward information have been identified in the dlPFC [55, 57–59], and the activity of lateral prefrontal areas in humans correlates with predicted SVs that guide decision making [60].”
From Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying subjective valuation of effort costs (2017) · cites this paper as [55]
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
The expected value of control: an integrative theory of anterior cingulate cortex function
Shenhav, A., Botvinick, M. M., & Cohen, J. D. (2013) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.07.007 · Cited by 2,321
Bartra, O., McGuire, J. T., & Kable, J. W. (2013) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.02.063 · Cited by 1,927
Reconsidering anhedonia in depression: Lessons from translational neuroscience
Treadway, M. T., & Zald, D. H. (2011) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.06.006 · Cited by 1,579
An opportunity cost model of subjective effort and task performance
Kurzban, R., Duckworth, A., Kable, J. W., & Myers, J. (2013) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x12003196 · Cited by 1,381
Frontal cortex and reward-guided learning and decision-making
Rushworth, M. F. S., Noonan, M. P., Boorman, E. D., Walton, M. E., & Behrens, T. E. (2011) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2011.05.014 · Cited by 1,111
Metadata
- Authors
- Kennerley, S. W., Dahmubed, A. F., Lara, A. H., & Wallis, J. D.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- ORCID
- Kennerley, Steven W.
- Venue
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Publisher
- MIT Press - Journals
- Published
- 2009-06-01
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1162-1178
- ISSN
- 0898-929X (ISSN-L)
- 1530-8898
- PMC
- PMC2715848
- OpenAlex
- W2048142524
- Cited by
- 453
- References
- 106
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 16.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5f32mh081521-02)
- National Institute of Mental Health (F32MH-081521)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01-DA19028, R01DA019028)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P01NS040813)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- decision-making, frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, lateral prefrontal cortex, single-unit recording, payoffs, success probability, cost, value encoding, optimal choice
- MeSH terms
- Action Potentials, Analysis of Variance, Animals, Brain Mapping, Decision Making, Eye Movements, Frontal Lobe, Functional Laterality, Macaca mulatta, Male, Neural Pathways, Neurons, Neuropsychological Tests, Photic Stimulation, Probability, Reaction Time, Reward, Time Factors
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