An anterior-posterior axis within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex separates self and reward.

ABSTRACT: Although theoretical discourse and experimental studies on the self- and reward-biases have a long tradition, currently we have only a limited understanding of how the biases are represented in the brain and, more importantly, how they relate to each other. We used multi-voxel pattern analysis to test for common representations of self and reward in perceptual matching in healthy human subjects. Voxels across an anterior-posterior axis in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) distinguished (i) self-others and (ii) high-low reward, but cross-generalization between these dimensions decreased from anterior to posterior vmPFC. The vmPFC is characterized by a shift from a common currency for value to independent, distributed representations of self and reward across an anterior-posterior axis.

SUBMITTER: Yankouskaya A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5716107 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature