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Updated: Apr 11, 2026
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Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
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Spatial gradient in value representation along the medial prefrontal cortex reflects individual differences in
Sunhae Sul1, Philippe N Tobler2, Grit Hein2
1Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Republic of Korea;
Summary
Brain scans reveal how valuing others influences prosocial behavior. Individual differences in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) activity and connectivity predict prosocial choices, offering neural markers for altruism.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Prosocial behavior is crucial for societal functioning.
- Understanding the neural basis of valuing others' welfare is limited.
- Individual differences in prosociality require explanation.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate neural representations of self- vs. other-regarding values.
- Identify brain mechanisms underlying individual variability in prosociality.
- Examine how value signals in the brain relate to prosocial choices.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a prosocial learning task.
- Behavioral analysis of choices benefiting self and/or others.
- Analysis of neural activity gradients and brain region coupling (MPFC-striatum).
Main Results:
- Participants valued others' welfare, but less than their own.
- A spatial gradient in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) activity distinguished self- and other-regarding values.
- Prosocial individuals exhibited smoother value transitions in MPFC and stronger MPFC-striatum coupling for others' benefit.
Conclusions:
- The MPFC plays a key role in representing self- and other-regarding values.
- Individual differences in MPFC function and connectivity correlate with prosocial behavior.
- Neural markers identified may explain variations in human altruism.
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