Stimulus Value Signals in Ventromedial PFC Reflect the Integration of Attribute Value Signals Computed in Fusiform Gyrus and Posterior Superior Temporal Gyrus

Abstract

We often have to make choices among multiattribute stimuli (e.g., a food that differs on its taste and health). Behavioral data suggest that choices are made by computing the value of the different attributes and then integrating them into an overall stimulus value signal. However, it is not known whether this theory describes the way the brain computes the stimulus value signals, or how the underlying computations might be implemented. We investigated these questions using a human fMRI task in which individuals had to evaluate T-shirts that varied in their visual esthetic (e.g., color) and semantic (e.g., meaning of logo printed in T-shirt) components. We found that activity in the fusiform gyrus, an area associated with the processing of visual features, correlated with the value of the visual esthetic attributes, but not with the value of the semantic attributes. In contrast, activity in posterior superior temporal gyrus, an area associated with the processing of semantic meaning, exhibited the opposite pattern. Furthermore, both areas exhibited functional connectivity with an area of ventromedial prefrontal cortex that reflects the computation of overall stimulus values at the time of decision. The results provide supporting evidence for the hypothesis that some attribute values are computed in cortical areas specialized in the processing of such features, and that those attribute-specific values are then passed to the vmPFC to be integrated into an overall stimulus value signal to guide the decision.

Ventromedial prefrontal cortex supports affective future simulation by integrating distributed knowledge

“…[25][26][27][28]. The vmPFC has been suggested to compute the overall value of an item by integrating the values of the item's attributes, a process that seems to be achieved via interactions with posterior regions involved in representing the individual attributes (53). A similar mechanism may also have been instantiated by the familiarity-dependent coupling in the current experiment.…”

Behavioral and Neural Valuation of Foods Is Driven by Implicit Knowledge of Caloric Content

“…This finding is consistent with the theory that the vmPFC draws on sensory information to establish value, integrating responses from brain regions that represent relevant attributes of the stimuli. Lim, O'Doherty, and Rangel (2013), using a valuation task of faces and money, found functional connectivity of the vmPFC and the fusiform gyrus (a region associated with processing visual features) during evaluation of visual esthetics, and they also uncovered connections to the posterior temporal gyrus (a region associated with semantic meaning) when participants evaluated semantic attributes. A different study found functional connectivity among striatal regions, the vmPFC, and primary auditory cortices when participants were estimating the subjective value of music (Salimpoor et al, 2013).…”

Neural evidence for moral intuition and the temporal dynamics of interactions between emotional processes and moral cognition

“…Some studies, including Greene's model, have suggested that the vmPFC plays a role in the integration of emotion into decision-making and planning (Baena, Allen, Kaut, & Hall, 2010;Greene & Haidt, 2002;Lim, O'Doherty, & Rangel, 2013;Wagar & Thagard, 2003).…”