Role of dopamine–adenosine interactions in the brain circuitry regulating effort-related decision making: insights into pathological aspects of motivation

AbstractWhat is the role of consciousness in volition and decision-making? Are our actions fully determined by brain activity preceding our decisions to act, or can consciousness instead affect the brain activity leading to action? This has been much debated in philosophy, but also in science since the famous experiments by Libet in the 1980s, where the current most common interpretation is that conscious free will is an illusion. It seems that the brain knows, up to several seconds in advance what “you” decide to do. These studies have, however, been criticized, and alternative interpretations of the experiments can be given, some of which are discussed in this paper. In an attempt to elucidate the processes involved in decision-making (DM), as an essential part of volition, we have developed a computational model of relevant brain structures and their neurodynamics. While DM is a complex process, we have particularly focused on the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) for its emotional, and the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) for its cognitive aspects. In this paper, we present a stochastic population model representing the neural information processing of DM. Simulation results seem to confirm the notion that if decisions have to be made fast, emotional processes and aspects dominate, while rational processes are more time consuming and may result in a delayed decision. Finally, some limitations of current science and computational modeling will be discussed, hinting at a future development of science, where consciousness and free will may add to chance and necessity as explanation for what happens in the world.

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Brain Imaging Biomarkers for Chronic Pain

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.734821 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Zhengwu Zhang ◽

Jennifer S. Gewandter ◽

Paul Geha

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Brain Imaging ◽

Substance Misuse ◽

Clinical Applications ◽

Imaging Biomarkers ◽

Costs And Benefits ◽

Brain Circuitry ◽

Chronic Pain Conditions ◽

The Brain

The prevalence of chronic pain has reached epidemic levels. In addition to personal suffering chronic pain is associated with psychiatric and medical co-morbidities, notably substance misuse, and a huge a societal cost amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars annually in medical cost, lost wages, and productivity. Chronic pain does not have a cure or quantitative diagnostic or prognostic tools. In this manuscript we provide evidence that this situation is about to change. We first start by summarizing our current understanding of the role of the brain in the pathogenesis of chronic pain. We particularly focus on the concept of learning in the emergence of chronic pain, and the implication of the limbic brain circuitry and dopaminergic signaling, which underly emotional learning and decision making, in this process. Next, we summarize data from our labs and from other groups on the latest brain imaging findings in different chronic pain conditions focusing on results with significant potential for translation into clinical applications. The gaps in the study of chronic pain and brain imaging are highlighted in throughout the overview. Finally, we conclude by discussing the costs and benefits of using brain biomarkers of chronic pain and compare to other potential markers.

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Individuals with ventromedial frontal damage have more unstable but still fundamentally transitive preferences

10.1101/384024 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Linda Q. Yu ◽

Jason Dana ◽

Joseph W. Kable

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Decision Maker ◽

Decision Process ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Rational Decision ◽

Rational Choices ◽

The Brain ◽

Intransitive Preferences ◽

Rational Decisions

AbstractThough the ventromedial frontal lobes (VMF) are clearly important for decision-making, the precise causal role of the VMF in the decision process has still not yet fully been established. Previous studies have suggested that individuals with VMF damage violate a hallmark axiom of rational decisions by having intransitive preferences (i.e., preferring A to B, B to C, but C to A), as these individuals are more likely to make cyclical choices (i.e., choosing C over A after previously choosing A over B and B over C). However, these prior studies cannot properly distinguish between two possibilities regarding effects of VMF damage: are individuals with VMF damage prone to choosing irrationally, or are their preferences simply more variable? We had individuals with focal VMF damage, individuals with other frontal damage, and healthy controls make repeated choices across three categories – artwork, chocolate bar brands, and gambles. Using sophisticated tests of transitivity, we find that, without exception, individuals with VMF damage made rational decisions consistent with transitive preferences, even though they more frequently exhibit choice cycles due to a greater variability in their preferences across time. That is, the VMF is necessary for having strong and reliable preferences across time and context, but not for being a rational decision maker. We conclude that VMF damage affects the noisiness with which value is assessed, but not the consistency with which value is sought.Significance statementThe VMF is a part of the brain that is thought to be one of the most important for preference-based choice. Despite this, whether it is needed to make rational choices at all is unknown. Previous studies have not discriminated between different possibilities regarding the critical necessary role that the VMF plays in value-based choice. Our study shows that individuals with VMF damage still make rational decisions consistent with what they prefer, but their choices are more variable and less reliable. That is, the VMF is important for the noisiness with which value is assessed, but not the consistency with which value is sought. This result has widespread implications for rethinking the role of VMF in decision-making.

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The Role of Executive Function in Shaping Reinforcement Learning

10.31234/osf.io/9cvw3 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Milena Rmus ◽

Samuel McDougle ◽

Anne Collins

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Reinforcement Learning ◽

Instrumental Behavior ◽

Complex Environments ◽

Neural Computations ◽

Human Decision ◽

Brain And Behavior ◽

And Behavior ◽

The Brain

Reinforcement learning (RL) models have advanced our understanding of how animals learn and make decisions, and how the brain supports some aspects of learning. However, the neural computations that are explained by RL algorithms fall short of explaining many sophisticated aspects of human decision making, including the generalization of learned information, one-shot learning, and the synthesis of task information in complex environments. Instead, these aspects of instrumental behavior are assumed to be supported by the brain’s executive functions (EF). We review recent findings that highlight the importance of EF in learning. Specifically, we advance the theory that EF sets the stage for canonical RL computations in the brain, providing inputs that broaden their flexibility and applicability. Our theory has important implications for how to interpret RL computations in the brain and behavior.

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The role of the brain in financial decisions: A viewpoint on neuroeconomics

Mètode Revista de difusió de la investigació ◽

10.7203/metode.0.6923 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 6

Author(s):

Guillermo Mateu ◽

Lucas Monzani ◽

Roger Muñoz Navarro

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Financial Markets ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Financial Decisions ◽

Main Research ◽

Economic Decisions ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Financial Decision ◽

The Brain

In this article, we explain the important role neuroscience plays in economic and financial environments. Hence, we present neuroeconomics as a way to describe how decision-making processes affect brain activity, focusing especially on the importance of economic and financial decisions. We answer some questions regarding the role of emotions in finance, the psychological factors present in financial markets, and how neuropsychological stimuli affect our economic decisions. We conclude by citing the main research in the area of neuroscience in financial decision-making processes, and highlight further research projects in these areas.

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The Role of Neuroaccounting (the Science of Neural-based Accounting) in Decision Making

BRAIN. BROAD RESEARCH IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEUROSCIENCE ◽

10.18662/brain/12.1/169 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 40-50

Author(s):

Tri Frida Suryati ◽

William Indra S. Mooduto

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Adverse Selection ◽

Policy Making ◽

Collection Method ◽

The Public ◽

Agency Relationships ◽

Policy Making Process ◽

The Brain ◽

Selection Of

The present study aims to determine the role of neuroaccounting in decision making. The data collection method is conducted by using interviews, moreover, the data analysis is analyzed by administering the interpretation of subjective understanding of informants which then followed by researchers' reflexivity. The results suggest that principal-agent relationships can occur when the legislature and the executive establish agency relationships in the policy-making process. In the perception of neuroscience; the interest of interest, the limited time of office, the inclination and limitation of knowledge to know all the public needs can be imprinted and settled in the brain, thus, it can create moral hazard and adverse selection of behavior.

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Synchronization and Redundancy: Implications for Robustness of Neural Learning and Decision Making

Neural Computation ◽

10.1162/neco_a_00183 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (11) ◽

pp. 2915-2941 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jake Bouvrie ◽

Jean-Jacques Slotine

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Decision Function ◽

Neural Systems ◽

Cortical Circuits ◽

Neural Learning ◽

The Impact ◽

The Brain ◽

Source Of Error

Learning and decision making in the brain are key processes critical to survival, and yet are processes implemented by nonideal biological building blocks that can impose significant error. We explore quantitatively how the brain might cope with this inherent source of error by taking advantage of two ubiquitous mechanisms, redundancy and synchronization. In particular we consider a neural process whose goal is to learn a decision function by implementing a nonlinear gradient dynamics. The dynamics, however, are assumed to be corrupted by perturbations modeling the error, which might be incurred due to limitations of the biology, intrinsic neuronal noise, and imperfect measurements. We show that error, and the associated uncertainty surrounding a learned solution, can be controlled in large part by trading off synchronization strength among multiple redundant neural systems against the noise amplitude. The impact of the coupling between such redundant systems is quantified by the spectrum of the network Laplacian, and we discuss the role of network topology in synchronization and in reducing the effect of noise. We discuss range of situations in which the mechanisms we model arise in brain science and draw attention to experimental evidence suggesting that cortical circuits capable of implementing the computations of interest here can be found on several scales. Finally, simulations comparing theoretical bounds to the relevant empirical quantities show that the theoretical estimates we derive can be tight.

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A Neuromarketing Perspective on Measuring Marketing Influence at the Unconsciousness Level

Advances in Business Strategy and Competitive Advantage - Digital Entrepreneurship and Global Innovation ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-0953-0.ch008 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 151-171

Author(s):

Ioana Iancu

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Human Being ◽

Comprehensive Description ◽

Academic Environments ◽

Marketing Influence ◽

The Brain ◽

Marketing Messages ◽

The Way

In a context characterized by an inflation of marketing messages, it is imperious to understand how consumers succeed in making the buying decision. Starting by briefly describing the structure and the role of the brain and the differences between consciousness and unconsciousness, the paper aims to investigate the way neuromarketing can help in comprehending the feelings of the consumers, the way products or services match the consumers' needs, and the way companies can discover the insights of decision-making process. This paper can be perceived either as a guide for the companies that aim to find more on the way people manage information and make decisions or as a comprehensive description on human being marketing behavior that can serve both business, academic environments and consumers.

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A Neuromarketing Perspective on Measuring Marketing Influence at the Unconsciousness Level

Applications of Neuroscience ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5478-3.ch014 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 296-316

Author(s):

Ioana Iancu

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Human Being ◽

Comprehensive Description ◽

Academic Environments ◽

Marketing Influence ◽

The Brain ◽

Marketing Messages ◽

The Way

In a context characterized by an inflation of marketing messages, it is imperious to understand how consumers succeed in making the buying decision. Starting by briefly describing the structure and the role of the brain and the differences between consciousness and unconsciousness, the paper aims to investigate the way neuromarketing can help in comprehending the feelings of the consumers, the way products or services match the consumers' needs, and the way companies can discover the insights of decision-making process. This paper can be perceived either as a guide for the companies that aim to find more on the way people manage information and make decisions or as a comprehensive description on human being marketing behavior that can serve both business, academic environments and consumers.

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Commentary on “Exploring new ways of thinking about and developing staff practice: the role of modes of thinking”

Tizard Learning Disability Review ◽

10.1108/tldr-03-2021-0007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Lex Wijnroks

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Learning Disabilities ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Brain Research ◽

Thinking Styles ◽

Content Type ◽

Ways Of Thinking ◽

The Brain ◽

Staff Practice

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on “Exploring new ways of thinking about and developing staff practice: the role of modes of thinking” written by Roy Deveau, John Ockenden and Petra Bjorne. Design/methodology/approach The commentary considers the consistency of Kahneman’s model of thinking fast and slow with brain research. Findings The thinking styles of staff undoubtedly influence their responses to people with learning disabilities. Although Kahneman’s model provides a heuristic approach to tackling prejudicial and biased thinking, it risks incomplete solutions through bypassing some of the factors contributing to staff behaviour. Originality/value This commentary concludes that Kahneman’s model is not completely consistent with knowledge about how the brain is organized. This should be regarded as a limitation of any model seeking to explain decision-making.

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