When Giving Is Good: Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Activation for Others' Intentions

Cooper, Jeffrey C.; Kreps, Tamar A.; Wiebe, Taylor; Pirkl, Tristana; Knutson, Brian

doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.06.030

Cited by 74 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Positive correlation between activity and the values of chosen options and negative correlations with values of rejected options suggests a role in decision making (21) or attentional selection (23). However, there is also evidence the vmPFC tracks values of items even in the absence of any decision or when watching somebody else choosing (24,25). Some studies have suggested that these value representations are independent of reward type (money, food) (26) and reflect the impact of other Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connectivity reveals relationship of brain areas for reward-guided learning and decision making in human and monkey frontal cortex

Neubert

Mars

Sallet

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

359

388

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Reward-guided decision-making depends on a network of brain regions. Among these are the orbitofrontal and the anterior cingulate cortex. However, it is difficult to ascertain if these areas constitute anatomical and functional unities, and how these areas correspond between monkeys and humans. To address these questions we looked at connectivity profiles of these areas using resting-state functional MRI in 38 humans and 25 macaque monkeys. We sought brain regions in the macaque that resembled 10 human areas identified with decision making and brain regions in the human that resembled six macaque areas identified with decision making. We also used diffusion-weighted MRI to delineate key human orbital and medial frontal brain regions. We identified 21 different regions, many of which could be linked to particular aspects of reward-guided learning, valuation, and decision making, and in many cases we identified areas in the macaque with similar coupling profiles.orbitofrontal cortex | anterior cingulate cortex | decision making | resting state functional connectivity | comparative anatomy A s humans we make decisions by taking into account different types of information, weighing our options carefully, and eventually coming to a conclusion. We then learn from witnessing the outcome of our decisions. Human functional MRI (fMRI) has had a major impact on elucidating the neural networks mediating decision making and learning, but key insights can only be obtained in neural recording, stimulation, and focal lesion studies conducted in animal models, such as the macaque. Combining insights from human fMRI and animal studies is, however, not straightforward because there is uncertainty about basic issues, such as anatomical and functional correspondences between species (1). For example, although there are many reports of decision value-related activity in the human ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) (2, 3), it is unclear whether they can be related to reports of reward-related activity either on the ventromedial surface of the frontal lobe (4, 5), in the adjacent medial orbitofrontal sulcus (6), or indeed to any macaque brain area. It is claimed that some areas implicated in rewardguided decision making and learning, such as parts of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), are not found in macaques (7), but such theories have never been formally tested.In addition, there is uncertainty about the basic constituent components of decision-making and learning circuits. To return to the example of the vmPFC, although this region is often contrasted with similarly large subdivisions of the frontal cortex, such as the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC) and ACC (8), it is unclear whether, and if so how, it should be decomposed into further subdivisions. Moreover, there are sometimes fundamental disagreements about how brain areas contribute to decision making and learning. For example, it has been claimed both that the ACC does (9-11) and does not (12) contribute to reward-based decision making and that it is concerned with dist...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connectivity reveals relationship of brain areas for reward-guided learning and decision making in human and monkey frontal cortex

Neubert

Mars

Sallet

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

359

388

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Three recent studies suggested that such vicarious decisions may involve neural valuation processes that are similar to those involved in choices that have consequences for oneself [68][69][70] . In one of these studies, BOLD activity in the vmPFC related to the participant's estimates of how much a pictured other person would contribute to a public good 68 . No vmPFC activation was observed if the participant estimated how much the depicted person would invest in a personal saving context.…”

Section: Vicarious Decision Makingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The neurobiology of rewards and values in social decision making

2014

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Of all the decisions in your life, which were the most important? Chances are high that many of them had a social component, be it when deciding about others (for example, whether to marry someone), for others (for example, which school to send your child to) or jointly with others (for example, whether to buy a house with your partner). Pathological changes specifically in the social aspects of decision making are pervasive in many psychiatric 1 and neurological 2 disorders and can have devastating consequences for individual and collective welfare. A good understanding of the neural basis of social decision making is thus an important aim of scientists in many disciplines, from basic neuroscience to medicine, psychology and economics.The neural mechanisms underlying social and nonsocial types of choices have traditionally been examined from different theoretical angles. In studies of non-social choices (for example, purchasing decisions), researchers have often focused on neural value computations associated with the rewarding properties of the choice options 3,4 . On the basis of this research, several brain structures have been proposed as elements of a brain valuation system (BOX 1). The neural value signals in these structures are thought to represent a 'common currency' for assessing the motivational relevance of all possible stimuli or actions, which is essential for guiding decision making across varying contexts 5,6 . By contrast, researchers studying social decisions have traditionally paid less attention to motivational processes, such as reward and value coding; instead, they have focused on identifying neurocognitive processes that may have uniquely evolved to guide social behaviour 7 . This emphasis on 'social-specific cognition' has identified, for example, that different visual areas seem to be functionally specialized for the perception of faces or bodies 8 and that the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) may be specifically involved in representing the intentions, emotions or actions of other people [9][10][11] . The idea of 'social-specific cognition' thus implies that the control of social and non-social behaviour should fundamentally differ in terms of neural architecture and information processing demands 12 . However, this view is challenged by recent findings that social decisions may also draw on value-related brain processes that strongly resemble those seen during non-social decisions. This apparent overlap in neural representations of motivational relevance for social and non-social choices is often taken to implicitly extend the 'common currency' idea to decisions based on social factors. This proposalthat choices in both social and non-social situations are steered by identical neural value computations -therefore questions whether the motivational control of social behaviour requires dedicated neural processes.In this Review, we propose a framework for studying the possible neurobiological links in the motivational control of social...

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“…The anterior portion of the rostral medial PFC is activated in tasks that require subjects to make social judgments (Amodio and Frith, 2006). In particular, it may be important for adjusting initial impressions of individuals (Cooper et al, 2010; Croft et al, 2010) or comparing oneself to others (Ochsner et al, 2005; Tamir and Mitchell, 2010). The medial aspect of BA 10 is often activated in these tasks.…”

Section: Lesions To Medial Pfcmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into Human Behavior from Lesions to the Prefrontal Cortex

Szczepanski

Knight

2014

Neuron

411

247

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SUMMARY The prefrontal cortex (PFC), a cortical region that was once thought to be functionally insignificant, is now known to play an essential role in the organization and control of goal-directed thought and behavior. Neuroimaging, neurophysiological, and modeling techniques have lead to tremendous advances in our understanding of PFC functions over the last few decades. It should be noted, however, that neurological, neuropathological, and neuropsychological studies have contributed some of the most essential, historical, and often prescient, conclusions regarding the functions of this region. Importantly, examination of patients with brain damage allows one to draw conclusions about whether a brain area is necessary for a particular function. Here, we provide a broad overview of PFC functions based upon behavioral and neural changes resulting from damage to PFC in both human patients and non-human primates.

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When Giving Is Good: Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Activation for Others' Intentions

Cited by 74 publications

References 54 publications

Connectivity reveals relationship of brain areas for reward-guided learning and decision making in human and monkey frontal cortex

Connectivity reveals relationship of brain areas for reward-guided learning and decision making in human and monkey frontal cortex

The neurobiology of rewards and values in social decision making

Insights into Human Behavior from Lesions to the Prefrontal Cortex

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