From the Reward Circuit to the Valuation System: How the Brain Motivates Behavior

摘要: In this chapter, we expose how behavioral economists, experimental psychologists, and cognitive neuroscientists joined their efforts merged two fields of investigation: reward learning choice behavior. This collaboration was made possible by technical progress—the availability brain-imaging scanners conceptual links—the use motivational value as a key variable. We then present evidence that values are encoded in so-called brain valuation system (BVS), which essentially comprises the ventral parts prefrontal cortex basal ganglia. Some fundamental properties BVS have been uncovered: it encodes personal (subject- not object-specific), generic (expressed common neuronal currency), automatic (generated even during distractive tasks). Next, show example situations where interacts with other systems (such perceptual, motor, executive, episodic, mirror systems) can impact on, or be impacted by, values. These neural interactions might explain number psychological phenomena, for instance, incentive motivation (why put so much effort task), delay discounting resist temptation immediate pleasures), mimetic desires often pursue same goals others). Last, point to unsolved issues, such at single-cell level, code incorporates uncertainty, different features integrated, options compared, negative represented relative positive values, etc.