Skip to main content

Or 34,00 After 66% tax deduction

I make a monthly donation I make an IFI donation
Research, science & health

Four core properties of the human brain valuation system demonstrated in intracranial signals

Published on: 16/04/2020 Reading time: 1 min
Four core properties of the human brain valuation system demonstrated in intracranial signals

Estimating the value of alternative options is a key process in decision-making. Human functional magnetic resonance imaging and monkey electrophysiology studies have identified brain regions, such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC), composing a value system.

In the present study, in an effort to bridge across species and techniques, we investigated the neural representation of value ratings in 36 people with epilepsy, using intracranial electroencephalography.

We found that subjective value was positively reflected in both vmPFC and lOFC high-frequency activity, plus several other brain regions, including the hippocampus. We then demonstrated that subjective value could be decoded (1) in pre-stimulus activity, (2) for various categories of items, (3) even during a distractive task and (4) as both linear and quadratic signals (encoding both value and confidence). Thus, our findings specify key functional properties of neural value signals (anticipation, generality, automaticity, quadraticity), which might provide insights into human irrational choice behaviors.

Sources

Four core properties of the human brain valuation system demonstrated in intracranial signals, Nature Neurosciences 2020.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-0615-9

Our news on the subject

La huntingtine est une protéine indispensable au développement embryonnaire, à la formation et au maintien du tissu cérébral.
Huntington's Disease: The Energy Hypothesis Gets Traction
Huntington's disease, a rare hereditary neurological disorder, is associated with an energy deficit that precedes the onset of symptoms and is closely linked to their progression. At Paris Brain Institute, Fanny Mochel and her colleagues are testing...
02.11.2025 Research, science & health
À la recherche de marqueurs d’imagerie dans la démence frontotemporale
Searching for Imaging Markers in Frontotemporal Dementia
Could exploring the relationships between different brain networks help us understand frontotemporal dementia (FTD)? This neurodegenerative disease, which progresses at varying rates, is often diagnosed late—when clinical signs are already severe. At...
01.07.2025 Research, science & health
Monocyte – un globule blanc qui se différencie en macrophage. Crédit : Université d’Edinbourg.
Discovery of a Macrophage Anomaly in Multiple Sclerosis
Certain patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) can partially regenerate myelin—the protective sheath that surrounds nerve fibers—which is damaged during the evolution of the disease. In studying how immune cells influence this remyelination...
12.19.2024 Research, science & health
Interneurones. Crédit : UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center.
Stimulating specific neurons in the striatum stops compulsive behaviour
What if we could resist compulsions? These irrational behaviours, particularly common in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), are hard to suppress. At Paris Brain Institute, Éric Burguière's team shows that we can anticipate them and block them...
09.10.2024 Research, science & health
Les nerfs moteurs présents dans la moelle épinière se projettent vers la périphérie, où ils entrent en contact avec les muscles, formant des connexions appelées jonctions neuromusculaires. Crédit : James N. Sleigh.
Ultrasound show unexpected effects on motor neuron disease
Over the past fifteen years, neurosurgeons have been perfecting a fascinating technique: using ultrasound to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier to facilitate the action of therapeutic molecules in the central nervous system. At Paris Brain...
09.05.2024 Research, science & health
Un neurone
Rett syndrome: a new gene therapy on the way
Gene therapy could be our best chance of treating Rett syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes severe intellectual and motor impairments. At Paris Brain Institute, Françoise Piguet and her colleagues have looked closely at brain cholesterol...
07.16.2024 Research, science & health
See all our news