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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Acknowledgements
We thank V. Chib and E. Boorman for helpful discussions, and J. Stanley for assistance. This work was funded by Science Foundation Ireland grant 08/IN.1/B1844 and a grant from the Gordon and Betty foundation (to J.P.O.).
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D.M., A.R. and J.P.O. designed the experiment. D.M. acquired and analyzed the data. D.M., A.R. and J.P.O. wrote the manuscript. J.P.O. supervised the project.
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McNamee, D., Rangel, A. & O'Doherty, J. Category-dependent and category-independent goal-value codes in human ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Nat Neurosci 16, 479–485 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3337
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3337
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