Category-dependent and Category-independent Goal-value Codes in Human Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex

Overview

Journal Nat Neurosci

Date 2013 Feb 19

PMID 23416449

Citations 107

Authors

Daniel McNamee

Antonio Rangel

John P ODoherty

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

To choose between manifestly distinct options, it is suggested that the brain assigns values to goals using a common currency. Although previous studies have reported activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) correlating with the value of different goal stimuli, it remains unclear whether such goal-value representations are independent of the associated stimulus categorization, as required by a common currency. Using multivoxel pattern analyses on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we found a region of medial prefrontal cortex to contain a distributed goal-value code that is independent of stimulus category. More ventrally in the vmPFC, we found spatially distinct areas of the medial orbitofrontal cortex to contain unique category-dependent distributed value codes for food and consumer items. These results implicate the medial prefrontal cortex in the implementation of a common currency and suggest a ventral versus dorsal topographical organization of value signals in the vmPFC.

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