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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

Identity-specific reward expectations in orbitofrontal cortex guide goal-directed choices.

Phillip P Witkowski¹, Noelle Henein², Nicole Moussa³

¹National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.

|July 9, 2026

Summary

Neuroeconomics research shows that specific reward cues in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC) influence choices. This brain mechanism helps guide goal-directed behavior based on expected reward identity.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Decision Science

Background:

Real-life decisions involve specific rewards, yet reward identity is often overlooked in neuroeconomic theories.
The lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC) is known to represent specific rewards predicted by cues.
The influence of these reward expectations on decision-making remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how identity-specific reward expectations, signaled by environmental cues, influence human decision-making.
To explore the neural mechanisms underlying the integration of reward identity information into choice behavior.

Main Methods:

Developed a novel behavioral task involving Pavlovian cues linked to specific rewards presented before decision-making.
Utilized pattern-based analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to examine brain activity.
Analyzed the interplay between the lOFC, nucleus accumbens, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC).

Main Results:

Cues predicting distinct reward types elicited identity-specific expectations in the lOFC.
These lOFC expectations significantly predicted subsequent reward-seeking choices.
Nucleus accumbens activity amplified the influence of lOFC expectations on action representations in the dACC.

Conclusions:

Demonstrated that identity-specific reward expectations in the lOFC play a crucial role in guiding goal-directed behavior.
Connected representational and motivational aspects of decision-making through neural mechanisms.
Highlighted the neural pathway involving lOFC, nucleus accumbens, and dACC in translating reward expectations into action.