Reward and social valuation deficits following ventromedial prefrontal damage

摘要: Lesion and imaging studies have implicated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in economic decisions social interactions, yet its exact functions remain unclear. Here, we investigated hypothesis that vmPFC represents subjective value or desirability of future outcomes during decision-making. Both vmPFC-damaged patients control participants acted as responder a single-round ultimatum game. To test outcome valuation, contrasted concrete, immediately available gains with abstract, ones. interactions human partner those involving computer. We found that, compared to controls, substantially reduced their acceptance rate unfair offers from partner, but only when financial were presented abstract amounts be received later. When visible readily available, patients' was normal. Furthermore, unlike did not distinguish between agent computerized opponent. conclude encodes expected goals common neural currency takes into account both reward signals order optimize