Neural Mechanisms of the Transformation from Objective Value to Subjective Utility: Converting from Count to Worth.

ABSTRACT: When deciding, we aim to choose the "best" possible outcome. This is not just selection of the option that is the most numerous or physically largest, as options are translated from objective value (count) to subjective value (worth or utility). We localized the neural instantiation of the value-to-utility transformation to the dorsal anterior midcingulate cortex (daMCC), with independent replication. The daMCC encodes the context-specific information necessary to convert from count to worth. This encoding is not simply a representation of utility or preference, but the interaction of the two. Specifically, the relationship of brain activation to value is dependent on individual preference, with both positive and negative slopes across the population depending on whether each individual's

SUBMITTER: Kurnianingsih YA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5101215 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature