Common neural code for reward and information value

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Decision Science

Background:

• Adaptive information seeking is crucial for goal-directed behavior.
• Intrinsic motives like curiosity and novelty, mediated by dopamine, influence information seeking.
• Valuing information intrinsically can be suboptimal for forward-looking instrumental goals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how both instrumental and noninstrumental motives shape the subjective value of information (SVOI).
• To determine if SVOI shares a common neural code with basic reward value.
• To explore the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying information-seeking behavior.

Main Methods:

• A computational model of SVOI was developed, incorporating instrumental benefits and the utility of anticipation (a noninstrumental motive).
• Subjects made decisions to purchase information to reduce uncertainty in a monetary lottery task.
• Neural activity in the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex was recorded and analyzed using cross-categorical decoding.

Main Results:

• Information purchase decisions were accurately captured by the SVOI model, which included anticipation utility.
• Trial-by-trial variations in SVOI correlated with activity in the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
• A common neural code was identified for SVOI and expected lottery utility within these brain regions.

Conclusions:

• Human information seeking is driven by a subjective value integrating both instrumental and noninstrumental motives.
• The brain utilizes a common neural currency for valuing information and basic rewards, supporting the common currency hypothesis.
• These findings elucidate the neurocognitive basis of adaptive information seeking and decision-making.