How the brain integrates costs and benefits during decision making

When we make decisions, the benefits of an option often need to be weighed against accompanying costs. Little is known, however, about the neural systems underlying such cost—benefit computations. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and choice modeling, we show that decision making based on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2010-12, Vol.107 (50), p.21767-21772
Main Authors: Basten, Ulrike, Biele, Guido, Heekeren, Hauke R., Fiebach, Christian J., Ungerleider, Leslie G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amygdala
Animals
Basal ganglia
Biological Sciences
Brain
Brain - anatomy & histology
Brain - physiology
Choice Behavior - physiology
Cognition & reasoning
Comparators
Connected regions
Cost efficiency
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Decision making
Decision Making - physiology
Efficiency decisions
Humans
Information processing
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Male
Mental stimulation
Modeling
Neuropsychology
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Oxygen - blood
Prefrontal cortex
Prefrontal Cortex - physiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Social Sciences
Young Adult
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Summary:When we make decisions, the benefits of an option often need to be weighed against accompanying costs. Little is known, however, about the neural systems underlying such cost—benefit computations. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and choice modeling, we show that decision making based on cost—benefit comparison can be explained as a stochastic accumulation of cost—benefit difference. Model-driven functional MRI shows that ventromedial and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compare costs and benefits by computing the difference between neural signatures of anticipated benefits and costs from the ventral striatum and amygdala, respectively. Moreover, changes in blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal in the bilateral middle intraparietal sulcus reflect the accumulation of the difference signal from ventromedial prefrontal cortex. In sum, we show that a neurophysiological mechanism previously established for perceptual decision making, that is, the difference-based accumulation of evidence, is fundamental also in value-based decisions. The brain, thus, weighs costs against benefits by combining neural benefit and cost signals into a single, difference-based neural representation of net value, which is accumulated over time until the individual decides to accept or reject an option.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0908104107