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Category-dependent and category-independent goal-value codes in human ventromedial prefrontal cortex

Nature Neuroscience volume 16, pages 479–485 (2013)Cite this article

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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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Figure 1: Task, univariate value signals and behavioral results.
Figure 2: Distributed category-dependent value codes in the mOFC for food and trinkets.
Figure 3: Organization of univariate and distributed value signals in the vmPFC distinguished by coding mechanism and stimulus information content.
Figure 4: Comparisons of univariate and multivariate value signal strengths across vmPFC subregions.
Figure 5: Stimulus category coding.

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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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Daniel McNamee & John P O'Doherty

  2. Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

    Daniel McNamee, Antonio Rangel & John P O'Doherty

  3. Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

    Antonio Rangel & John P O'Doherty

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  1. Daniel McNamee
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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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Correspondence to Daniel McNamee.

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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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