TY - JOUR
T1 - Orbitofrontal Cortex
T2 - A Neural Circuit for Economic Decisions
AU - Padoa-Schioppa, Camillo
AU - Conen, Katherine E.
N1 - Funding Information:
The ideas exposed here were partly elaborated through discussions with numerous colleagues. We are particularly indebted to Xinying Cai, Aldo Rustichini, and Jue Xie. We also thank Sebastien Ballesta, Ahmad Jezzini, and Jue Xie for comments on the manuscript. Our research is supported by the NIH (grant numbers R01-DA032758 , R01-MH104494 , and R21-DA042882 to C.P.-S. and F31-MH107111 to K.E.C.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2017/11/15
Y1 - 2017/11/15
N2 - Economic choice behavior entails the computation and comparison of subjective values. A central contribution of neuroeconomics has been to show that subjective values are represented explicitly at the neuronal level. With this result at hand, the field has increasingly focused on the difficult question of where in the brain and how exactly subjective values are compared to make a decision. Here, we review a broad range of experimental and theoretical results suggesting that good-based decisions are generated in a neural circuit within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). The main lines of evidence supporting this proposal include the fact that goal-directed behavior is specifically disrupted by OFC lesions, the fact that different groups of neurons in this area encode the input and the output of the decision process, the fact that activity fluctuations in each of these cell groups correlate with choice variability, and the fact that these groups of neurons are computationally sufficient to generate decisions. Results from other brain regions are consistent with the idea that good-based decisions take place in OFC and indicate that value signals inform a variety of mental functions. We also contrast the present proposal with other leading models for the neural mechanisms of economic decisions. Finally, we indicate open questions and suggest possible directions for future research. Padoa-Schioppa and Conen review recent advances on the neuronal mechanisms underlying economic choices. They propose that good-based decisions are formed in a neural circuit within the orbitofrontal cortex.
AB - Economic choice behavior entails the computation and comparison of subjective values. A central contribution of neuroeconomics has been to show that subjective values are represented explicitly at the neuronal level. With this result at hand, the field has increasingly focused on the difficult question of where in the brain and how exactly subjective values are compared to make a decision. Here, we review a broad range of experimental and theoretical results suggesting that good-based decisions are generated in a neural circuit within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). The main lines of evidence supporting this proposal include the fact that goal-directed behavior is specifically disrupted by OFC lesions, the fact that different groups of neurons in this area encode the input and the output of the decision process, the fact that activity fluctuations in each of these cell groups correlate with choice variability, and the fact that these groups of neurons are computationally sufficient to generate decisions. Results from other brain regions are consistent with the idea that good-based decisions take place in OFC and indicate that value signals inform a variety of mental functions. We also contrast the present proposal with other leading models for the neural mechanisms of economic decisions. Finally, we indicate open questions and suggest possible directions for future research. Padoa-Schioppa and Conen review recent advances on the neuronal mechanisms underlying economic choices. They propose that good-based decisions are formed in a neural circuit within the orbitofrontal cortex.
KW - attentional drift-diffusion model
KW - decision neuroscience
KW - distributed-consensus model
KW - economic choice
KW - goal-directed behavior
KW - good-based model
KW - neuroeconomics
KW - prefrontal cortex
KW - subjective value
KW - value-based decision
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85033717354&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.09.031
DO - 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.09.031
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29144973
AN - SCOPUS:85033717354
SN - 0896-6273
VL - 96
SP - 736
EP - 754
JO - Neuron
JF - Neuron
IS - 4
ER -