Common and Distinct Functional Brain Networks for Intuitive and Deliberate Decision Making

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Decision Science

Background:

• Reinforcement learning in animals implicates distinct fronto-striatal systems in goal-directed versus habitual behaviors.
• Evidence for separable systems in humans remains less clear, particularly regarding the neural basis of deliberate versus intuitive choices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying deliberate and intuitive choice behaviors in humans using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
• To identify distinct fronto-striatal systems associated with processing novel (deliberate) versus familiar (intuitive) stimuli during a conditional associative learning task.

Main Methods:

• Collected fMRI data from 20 participants performing a conditional associative learning task with novel and familiar stimuli.
• Employed standard subtraction analysis and psycho-physiological interaction (PPI) analysis to examine brain activation and functional connectivity.
• Utilized dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventro-medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) as seed regions for PPI analysis.

Main Results:

• Deliberate choice of novel stimuli engaged a dorso-fronto-parietal network including the DLPFC.
• Intuitive choice of familiar stimuli activated the ventro-medial frontal (VMPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex.
• Functional coupling analyses revealed distinct striatal connectivity patterns: caudate with DLPFC for novel stimuli, and VMPFC for familiar stimuli.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated separable fronto-striatal systems for deliberate and intuitive processing in humans, aligning with findings in rodents and primates.
• Suggests these systems operate dynamically and potentially synergistically within the striatum in humans.