Self-Control in Decision-Making Involves Modulation of the vmPFC Valuation System

Abstract

Dieter's Dilemma The ability to exercise self-control is central to human success and well-being. However, little is known about the neurobiological underpinnings of self-control and how or why these neural mechanisms might differ between successful and unsuccessful decision-makers. Hare et al. (p. 646 ) used brain imaging in a dieting population undergoing real-life decisions between a healthy or a tempting, yet nutritionally inferior, choice of food. Activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex correlated with the value of the stimulus, termed goal value. Importantly, this activity integrated both health and taste values in individuals who were able to exert self-control in their choices, while reflecting only taste in those unable to exert self-control.

Lateral prefrontal cortex and self-control in intertemporal choice

“…In contrast, no effects were found for valuation. We also found the given to magnitude versus timing of rewards, or via a more direct influence on choice such as the inhibition of a prepotent response (i.e., the tempting immediate SS) 6,8 . Regardless of their neural implementation, our paper is the first to provide causal evidence that self-control processes should be incorporated into existing neural models of intertemporal choice.…”

“…The first two reflect important fMRI studies of intertemporal choice. The third is based only on indirect evidence from fMRI [4][5][6] and rTMS 7 studies; so far, no study has provided causal evidence to investigate self-control mechanisms in intertemporal choice.…”

“…The self-control account, in contrast, assumes that a tempting option (an immediate SS) might be valued more highly than an alternative (a delayed LL), but that the LL might still be chosen, because of intervening selfcontrol processes. The (dorsal) LPFC has been implicated in self-control [6][7][8] , making it a prime target for a brain stimulation study. 18 not-now trials with delayed SS and LL), the relative differences in SS/LLmagnitudes ranged from small (LL 0.5% larger than SS) to large (LL 75% larger than SS); a valuation task, rating the attractiveness of 12 single options taken from the choice set; a choicetitration task (since choice-titrations showed the same results as the choice task, it is described in SOM).…”

The mentalizing network orchestrates the impact of parochial altruism on social norm enforcement

“…More precisely, the neural data suggest that the left TPJ negatively modulates the effective connectivity between the DMPFC and lateral areas of the PFC (rOFG, rLPFC), whereas the left TPJ positively modulates the effective connectivity between the DMPFC and medial areas of the OFG known to be involved in positive evaluation processes [Hare et al, 2009;Kringelbach 2005]. Thus, the lower punishment of ingroup members' defective behavior may have been implemented via the modulatory role of left TPJ on evaluation related prefrontal areas such as mOFG and rOFG.…”

“…If this hypothesis is correct, we would expect a differential activity pattern in those regions of the brain strongly associated with a decision-relevant reflective evaluation process, including in particular ventral and lateral regions of the orbitofrontal gyrus (OFG) [Hare et al, 2009;Kringelbach 2005;Liu et al, 2007;Plassmann et al, 2007;Rangel et al, 2008]. More precisely, there is some evidence for a medial-lateral distinction in the OFG, such that activity in medial areas is related to positive evaluation processes, while activity in lateral areas is related to negative evaluation processes [Kringelbach, 2005;Liu et al, 2007;Rilling et al, 2007;Spitzer et al, 2007].…”