Action-value comparisons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex control choice between goal-directed actions
Richard W Morris1, Amir Dezfouli1, Kristi R Griffiths2
11] Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2021 New South Wales, Australia [2].
Nature Communications
|July 24, 2014
Summary
The brain appears to calculate the probability of an action being better than others, not just the value difference. This finding reveals how neural activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) guides decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Decision Science
Background:
- Decision-making is often assumed to rely on comparing action values.
- Direct neural evidence for how these comparisons are made is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the brain computes the absolute difference or the relative probability of action values.
- To identify the neural mechanisms underlying value-based choice.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a two-armed bandit task.
- Computational modeling to estimate action value difference (D) and probability (P).
Main Results:
- Neural signals in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) correlated with the probability (P) of an action being superior.
- These dlPFC signals modulated motor cortex activity in an action-specific way.
- No significant neural activity related to the absolute difference (D) was found.
Conclusions:
- The brain appears to utilize the relative probability of action values, not their absolute difference, for decision-making.
- A distinct neural population in the dlPFC mediates action-value comparisons.
- This provides insight into the neural implementation of value-based choice.
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