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Neuronal Activity in Orbitofrontal Cortex during Trinary Choices under Risk
Miguel Barretto-Garcia1, Jiaxin Cindy Tu1, Camillo Padoa-Schioppa2,3,4
1Departments of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
Summary
The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) processes subjective values for economic choices, even with multiple options. Neuronal activity in the OFC reflects risk preference and decision variables, supporting rational choice theory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is implicated in economic decision-making, particularly in computing and comparing subjective values.
- Previous research primarily focused on binary choices, leaving the neural mechanisms for multinary choices less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) represents subjective values during multinary economic choices.
- To determine if OFC neural activity supports rational choice principles like the independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) in complex scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiological recordings from the OFC of rhesus monkeys performing trinary choice tasks.
- Offers varied in juice flavor, quantity, and probability, with continuous variation in quantity and probability.
Main Results:
- Monkeys exhibited risk-seeking behavior and choices satisfied the independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA).
- Distinct neuronal populations in the OFC encoded offer values, choice outcomes, chosen values, chosen probabilities, and chosen hemifields.
- OFC neuronal activity reflected subjective value, risk attitude, and decision variables, remaining invariant to changes in menu size, thus implying IIA.
Conclusions:
- The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) plays a crucial role in multinary economic choices, processing subjective values similarly to binary choices.
- OFC neural representations support rational economic behavior, including the independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA), even when faced with complex, multi-attribute options.
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