scholarly journals Neural signatures of value comparison in human cingulate cortex during decisions requiring an effort-reward trade-off

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam C Klein-Flügge ◽  
Steven W Kennerley ◽  
Karl Friston ◽  
Sven Bestmann

AbstractIntegrating costs and benefits is crucial for optimal decision-making. While much is known about decisions that involve outcome-related costs (e.g., delay, risk), many of our choices are attached to actions and require an evaluation of the associated motor costs. Yet how the brain incorporates motor costs into choices remains largely unclear. We used human functional magnetic resonance imaging during choices involving monetary reward and physical effort to identify brain regions that serve as a choice comparator for effort-reward trade-offs. By independently varying both options' effort and reward levels, we were able to identify the neural signature of a comparator mechanism. A network involving supplementary motor area (SMA) and the caudal portion of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) encoded the difference in reward (positively) and effort levels (negatively) between chosen and unchosen choice options. We next modelled effort-discounted subjective values using a novel behavioural model. This revealed that the same network of regions involving dACC and SMA encoded the difference between the chosen and unchosen options' subjective values, and that activity was best described using a concave model of effort-discounting. In addition, this signal reflected how precisely value determined participants' choices. By contrast, separate signals in SMA and ventro-medial PFC (vmPFC) correlated with participants' tendency to avoid effort and seek reward, respectively. This suggests that the critical neural signature of decision-making for choices involving motor costs is found in human cingulate cortex and not vmPFC as typically reported for outcome-based choice. Furthermore, distinct frontal circuits ‘drive’ behaviour towards reward-maximization and effort-minimization.Significance StatementThe neural processes that govern the trade-off between expected benefits and motor costs remain largely unknown. This is striking because energetic requirements play an integral role in our day-to-day choices and instrumental behaviour, and a diminished willingness to exert effort is a characteristic feature of a range of neurological disorders. We use a new behavioural characterization of how humans trade-off reward-maximization with effort-minimization to examine the neural signatures that underpin such choices, using BOLD MRI neuroimaging data. We find the critical neural signature of decision-making, a signal that reflects the comparison of value between choice options, in human cingulate cortex, whereas two distinct brain circuits ‘drive’ behaviour towards reward-maximization or effort-minimization.

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 940-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W Kennerley ◽  
Mark E Walton ◽  
Timothy E J Behrens ◽  
Mark J Buckley ◽  
Matthew F S Rushworth

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 247054702110302
Author(s):  
Taylor D. Yeater ◽  
David J. Clark ◽  
Lorraine Hoyos ◽  
Pedro A. Valdes-Hernandez ◽  
Julio A. Peraza ◽  
...  

Background Autonomic dysregulation may lead to blunted sympathetic reactivity in chronic pain states. Autonomic responses are controlled by the central autonomic network (CAN). Little research has examined sympathetic reactivity and associations with brain CAN structures in the presence of chronic pain; thus, the present study aims to investigate how chronic pain influences sympathetic reactivity and associations with CAN brain region volumes. Methods Sympathetic reactivity was measured as change in skin conductance level (ΔSCL) between a resting reference period and walking periods for typical and complex walking tasks (obstacle and dual-task). Participants included 31 people with (n = 19) and without (n = 12) chronic musculoskeletal pain. Structural 3 T MRI was used to determine gray matter volume associations with ΔSCL in regions of the CAN (i.e., brainstem, amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex). Results ΔSCL varied across walking tasks (main effect p = 0.036), with lower ΔSCL in chronic pain participants compared to controls across trials 2 and 3 under the obstacle walking condition. ΔSCL during typical walking was associated with multiple CAN gray matter volumes, including brainstem, bilateral insula, amygdala, and right caudal anterior cingulate cortex (p’s < 0.05). The difference in ΔSCL from typical-to-obstacle walking were associated with volumes of the midbrain segment of the brainstem and anterior segment of the circular sulcus of the insula (p’s < 0.05), with no other significant associations. The difference in ΔSCL from typical-to-dual task walking was associated with the bilateral caudal anterior cingulate cortex, and left rostral cingulate cortex (p’s < 0.05). Conclusions Sympathetic reactivity is blunted during typical and complex walking tasks in persons with chronic pain. Additionally, blunted sympathetic reactivity is associated with CAN brain structure, with direction of association dependent on brain region. These results support the idea that chronic pain may negatively impact typical autonomic responses needed for walking performance via its potential impact on the brain.


2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1678-1691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark E. Walton ◽  
James Groves ◽  
Katie A. Jennings ◽  
Paula L. Croxson ◽  
Trevor Sharp ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e00768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Zhong ◽  
Sihao Deng ◽  
Wenbo Ma ◽  
Yuchen Yang ◽  
Dahua Lu ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 4277-4290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick S Hogan ◽  
Joseph K Galaro ◽  
Vikram S Chib

Abstract The perceived effort level of an action shapes everyday decisions. Despite the importance of these perceptions for decision-making, the behavioral and neural representations of the subjective cost of effort are not well understood. While a number of studies have implicated anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in decisions about effort/reward trade-offs, none have experimentally isolated effort valuation from reward and choice difficulty, a function that is commonly ascribed to this region. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to monitor brain activity while human participants engaged in uncertain choices for prospective physical effort. Our task was designed to examine effort-based decision-making in the absence of reward and separated from choice difficulty—allowing us to investigate the brain’s role in effort valuation, independent of these other factors. Participants exhibited subjectivity in their decision-making, displaying increased sensitivity to changes in subjective effort as objective effort levels increased. Analysis of blood-oxygenation-level dependent activity revealed that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) encoded the subjective valuation of prospective effort, and ACC activity was best described by choice difficulty. These results provide insight into the processes responsible for decision-making regarding effort, partly dissociating the roles of vmPFC and ACC in prospective valuation of effort and choice difficulty.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ammar Alzarrad ◽  
Gary P. Moynihan ◽  
Muhammad T. Hatamleh ◽  
Siyuan Song

As is often the case in project scheduling, when the project duration is shortened to decrease total cost, the total float is lost resulting in added critical or nearly critical activities. This, in turn, results in decreasing the probability of completing the project on time and increases the risk of schedule delays. To solve this problem, this research developed a fuzzy multicriteria decision-making (FMCDM) model. The objective of this model is to help project managers improve their decisions regarding time-cost-risk trade-offs (TCRTO) in construction projects. In this model, an optimization algorithm based on fuzzy logic and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been used to analyze the time-cost-risk trade-off alternatives and select the best one based on selected criteria. The algorithm was implemented in the MATLAB software and applied to two case studies to verify and validate the presented model. The presented FMCDM model could help produce a more reliable schedule and mitigate the risk of projects running overbudget or behind schedule. Further, this model is a powerful decision-making instrument to help managers reduce uncertainties and improve the accuracy of time-cost-risk trade-offs. The presented FMCDM model employed fuzzy linguistic terms, which provide decision-makers with the opportunity to give their judgments as intervals comparing to fixed value judgments. In conclusion, the presented FMCDM model has high robustness, and it is an attractive alternative to the traditional methods to solve the time-cost-risk trade-off problem in construction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliana Vassena ◽  
James Deraeve ◽  
William H. Alexander

Cell Reports ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 2407-2418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Wang ◽  
Jie Tu ◽  
Bing Cao ◽  
Li Mu ◽  
Xiangwei Yang ◽  
...  

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