Subjective value, not a gridlike code, describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value-based decision-making
Across many studies, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activity has been found to correlate with subjective value during value-based decision-making. Recently, however, vmPFC has also been shown to reflect a hexagonal gridlike code during navigation through physical and conceptual space, and su...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-08-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811921004365 |
| _version_ | 1819145115927576576 |
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| author | Sangil Lee Linda Q. Yu Caryn Lerman Joseph W. Kable |
| author_facet | Sangil Lee Linda Q. Yu Caryn Lerman Joseph W. Kable |
| author_sort | Sangil Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Across many studies, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activity has been found to correlate with subjective value during value-based decision-making. Recently, however, vmPFC has also been shown to reflect a hexagonal gridlike code during navigation through physical and conceptual space, and such gridlike codes have been proposed to enable value-based choices between novel options. Here, we first show that, in theory, a hexagonal gridlike code can in some cases mimic vmPFC activity previously attributed to subjective value, raising the possibility that the subjective value correlates previously observed in vmPFC may have actually been a misconstrued gridlike signal. We then compare the two accounts empirically, using fMRI data from a large number of subjects performing an intertemporal choice task. We find clear and unambiguous evidence that subjective value is a better description of vmPFC activity in this task than a hexagonal gridlike code. In fact, we find no significant evidence at all for a hexagonal gridlike code in vmPFC activity during intertemporal choice. This result limits the generality of gridlike modulation as description of vmPFC activity. We suggest that vmPFC may flexibly switch representational schemes so as to encode the most relevant information for the current task. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T12:52:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7429b75f3ccf48b69d4fc40dc89cb7eb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T12:52:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj.art-7429b75f3ccf48b69d4fc40dc89cb7eb2022-12-21T18:25:10ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722021-08-01237118159Subjective value, not a gridlike code, describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value-based decision-makingSangil Lee0Linda Q. Yu1Caryn Lerman2Joseph W. Kable3Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Corresponding author.Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USANorris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USADepartment of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USAAcross many studies, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activity has been found to correlate with subjective value during value-based decision-making. Recently, however, vmPFC has also been shown to reflect a hexagonal gridlike code during navigation through physical and conceptual space, and such gridlike codes have been proposed to enable value-based choices between novel options. Here, we first show that, in theory, a hexagonal gridlike code can in some cases mimic vmPFC activity previously attributed to subjective value, raising the possibility that the subjective value correlates previously observed in vmPFC may have actually been a misconstrued gridlike signal. We then compare the two accounts empirically, using fMRI data from a large number of subjects performing an intertemporal choice task. We find clear and unambiguous evidence that subjective value is a better description of vmPFC activity in this task than a hexagonal gridlike code. In fact, we find no significant evidence at all for a hexagonal gridlike code in vmPFC activity during intertemporal choice. This result limits the generality of gridlike modulation as description of vmPFC activity. We suggest that vmPFC may flexibly switch representational schemes so as to encode the most relevant information for the current task.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811921004365vmPFCValuationGrid cellHexagonal modulation |
| spellingShingle | Sangil Lee Linda Q. Yu Caryn Lerman Joseph W. Kable Subjective value, not a gridlike code, describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value-based decision-making NeuroImage vmPFC Valuation Grid cell Hexagonal modulation |
| title | Subjective value, not a gridlike code, describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value-based decision-making |
| title_full | Subjective value, not a gridlike code, describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value-based decision-making |
| title_fullStr | Subjective value, not a gridlike code, describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value-based decision-making |
| title_full_unstemmed | Subjective value, not a gridlike code, describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value-based decision-making |
| title_short | Subjective value, not a gridlike code, describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value-based decision-making |
| title_sort | subjective value not a gridlike code describes neural activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during value based decision making |
| topic | vmPFC Valuation Grid cell Hexagonal modulation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811921004365 |
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